Migrant Workers Secretary orders full reintegration aid for Mary Jane Veloso

After President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. signed an order granting Mary Jane Veloso an absolute pardon, the former overseas Filipino worker was released from the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City. Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac ordered the creation of a support team to coordinate with Veloso's relatives in Nueva Ecija, ensuring a "comprehensive reintegration" that includes family-level assistance and community initiatives.

The team will lay the groundwork for immediate interventions that promote her long-term productivity and independence. Cacdac emphasized that the Department of Migrant Workers will stand alongside Veloso, her children, and her parents throughout the rebuilding process. The Department is also partnering with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to connect Veloso's ventures to local cooperatives and municipal economic opportunities, fostering sustainable community participation. Veloso had spent 16 years in prison after being sentenced to death in Indonesia for alleged drug trafficking, a case her supporters say she was forced into as a drug mule.