Mother of Filipina who spent 15 years on death row in Indonesia calls for pardon

Mother of Mary Jane Veloso urges Philippine president to act so family can be reunited for Christmas, as daughter lands in Manila

The mother of Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipino domestic helper who spent almost 15 years on death row in Indonesia, has urged President Ferdinand Marcosto grant her daughter a pardon as she arrived back in the Philippines on Wednesday, ending a long battle by her supporters to bring her home.

We cannot explain the joy of my husband and her children," Veloso's mother, Celia Veloso, 65, told the Guardian late on Tuesday. We have been praying for my child to come home for a long time, and now she will be home." She hopes her family can be reunited for Christmas.