Amid the Return of Mary Jane Veloso to the Philippines, PNOY Trends on X
PNOY – Former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III trended on X (formerly Twitter) following Mary Jane Veloso’s return to the Philippines.
Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso is a Filipina who was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 for drug trafficking and sentenced to death. She maintained her innocence, claiming that she was tricked into smuggling narcotics. After being granted a temporary reprieve in 2015, she spent nearly 10 years on death row.
In November 2024, the Indonesian government announced that Veloso would be transferred to the Philippines following an agreement between the two countries. She was repatriated to Manila in December 2024. Her case drew significant international attention, particularly regarding Indonesia’s capital punishment and drug laws.
Following her return to the country, PNOY trended on social media, particularly on the platform X (formerly Twitter). Netizens lauded the late ex-president for taking action to save Veloso’s life.
To recall, in 2015, when Mary Jane Veloso was on the brink of being executed in Indonesia, then-President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino did something unexpected. With only hours left to save her life, he took the extraordinary step of personally calling Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, during an ASEAN Summit in Malaysia. It was unusual for a president to bypass diplomatic protocol like that, but Aquino was determined. He passionately argued that Veloso, who had been duped into smuggling heroin, could provide valuable information to help authorities capture the criminals who had exploited her.
This direct, personal plea made a difference. The Indonesian government responded, and Veloso was granted a temporary reprieve. Aquino’s quick, heartfelt actions, combined with legal developments back home—such as the arrest of Veloso’s alleged recruiter—gave her a second chance. It was a moment where diplomacy and compassion intersected, ultimately buying her time and sparing her life, even if only for a moment.