Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday granted a pardon ​to Mary Jane Veloso, who was serving a ‌prison sentence for drug trafficking in the Philippines after her arrest ​in Indonesia in 2010.

According to PhilStar Global, Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., the director general of the Bureau of Corrections, “personally handed” Veloso a copy of the pardon and her official release, completing the procedures for her discharge. Earlier on Friday, Marcos confirmed to reporters that he had signed a pardon the day before, without elaborating.

Veloso, a 41-year-old domestic worker and mother of two, was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 for trying to bring 2.6 kilograms of heroin into Indonesia. She was subsequently sentenced to death under Indonesia’s severe drug laws, but received a last-minute reprieve from execution in 2015 after Philippine officials asked then Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to let her testify against members of a prominent drug trafficking organization.

In December 2024, Indonesia agreed to repatriate Veloso after years of requests from the Philippines, where Veloso’s relatives and supporters had waged a persistent campaign for her release.

Veloso has always maintained her innocence, claiming that she was tricked into carrying the drugs by her godsister. She smiled as she left her prison cell in the Philippines on Friday, after more than 15 years behind bars. In a press conference with Catapang at the Bureau of Corrections, she held up the “absolute pardon” signed by Marcos, which removes the remaining legal consequences of her conviction, allowing her a fresh start, and offered a tearful thanks to the Philippine leader.

“I just want to tell our beloved President: Thank you so much for clearing my name and allowing me to return to my family,” she said, as per Inquirer.net. She added that she was looking forward to reuniting with her two sons, who have grown nearly to adulthood since her arrest.

“It was really hard being separated from them … I didn’t see my children grow, but I believe it’s not yet too late for me to be their guide,” Veloso said.

Veloso’s release was greeted with joy by family members and advocacy groups that have spent years campaigning for her release.

Veloso’s pardon marks a rare positive development in a story connected to Southeast Asia’s tough anti-drug regime. Indonesia is known particularly for its unforgiving approach to drug crimes, especially large-scale trafficking offenses.

Under the agreement Yusril Ihza Mahendra, then Indonesia’s senior minister for law and human rights affairs, said that the Philippines had agreed to respect the Indonesian court’s sentencing of Veloso and her status as prisoner in Indonesia.

However, Yusril also said that the Indonesian government would also respect any decision made by the Philippines once Veloso is back on Philippine soil, including the possible granting of clemency.

“This only proves that there are really second chances, and we are happy that Veloso can now enjoy her newfound freedom with her family,” Catapang said.