DMW chief Cacdac orders 'comprehensive reintegration' support for Mary Jane Veloso

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Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac has ordered the provision of full reintegration assistance for former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Mary Jane Veloso following her grant of absolute pardon and subsequent freedom from jail.

In a statement, the DMW said Cacdac has ordered a support team to coordinate with Veloso's family in Nueva Ecija to facilitate her "comprehensive reintegration."

The team is tasked to "lay the groundwork for immediate family- and community-level interventions" that would allow Veloso's long-term productivity and self-sufficiency.

"Our instructions are clear: the DMW must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mary Jane, her children, and her parents as they rebuild their lives," Cacdac said.

Cacdac said her "tailored reintegration program" involves direct discussions her family and local stakeholders.

The DMW issued the statement hours after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said Friday that he has already signed the order for Veloso's absolute pardon.

On the same day of the President's announcement, Veloso was released from the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City, turning the page on the 16-year chapter of her life spent behind bars on drug charges.

The DMW said it is working with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to ensure that Veloso's transition to her new life is sustainable.

This involves linking her "ventures directly to local cooperatives and municipal economic opportunities in Nueva Ecija," with the goal that this would foster community participation.

Veloso languished on death row in Indonesia following her arrest in April 2010 at the Adisutjipto International Airport in Yogjakarta for alleged possession of heroin.

Veloso and her supporters have long insisted that she was exploited as drug mule and was actually the victim in the case.

She was sentenced her to death in October 2010, but a strong appeal from the late President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III paved the way for the commutation of her punishment in 2015.

In December 2024, Indonesian authorities agreed to transfer custody over Veloso to the Philippines. — VDV, GMA News