The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) welcomes the statements made last week by a senior law and human rights minister of Indonesia that a “practical arrangement” has been made for the repatriation of drug trafficking victim Mary Jane Veloso to the Philippines, as well as further news reports confirming this.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that Mary Jane will be home around December 20, definitely before Christmas, that he heard news that the death penalty given to her will be reduced to life imprisonment, and that she will be placed under Philippine laws upon her return to the country.

Mary Jane’s repatriation, while a good news for the Filipino workers and people, is not enough. Mary Jane is a victim of drug trafficking and she has suffered so much for being in prison for 14 years. Her repatriation should already come with clemency. This is what we demand from no less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

If the Indonesian and Philippine governments really want to give Filipinos a reason to celebrate this Christmas, they should ensure that Mary Jane’s return to the Philippines is a return directly to her home – where her aging parents and two kids have been waiting for her for so long. Seeing Mary Jane behind bars in the Philippines would not be a happy sight; seeing her with her family would be.

The truth is that the Philippine government has failed Mary Jane for so long. Former President Noynoy Aquino was late in calling for the commutation of her death sentence, and had to be pressured by protests and public opinion. Former President Rodrigo Duterte, consistent with his drug war, even expressed his agreement to her execution.

We recognize that Marcos Jr requested Indonesia to bring Mary Jane back to the Philippines. Still, the least that the government can do, after her 14 years of imprisonment despite being a drug trafficking victim, is ensure that her return to the Philippines will already be a return to her family.

While we celebrate Mary Jane’s impending return to the Philippines and while we demand that she be granted clemency, we underscore that the conditions in the country – widespread unemployment, poverty and hunger – that led her to be victimized by drug traffickers persist.

Beyond granting Mary Jane clemency, the Marcos Jr government should work to generate decent jobs in the country by developing the country’s industry and agriculture, which have been declining for decades especially in comparison with the services sector.