MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will consider the appeal for executive clemency for Mary Jane Veloso, who spent 14 years imprisoned in Indonesia for drug trafficking, Malacañang said Friday.

In a Palace briefing, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Press Officer Claire Castro said the request would be forwarded to the President’s office, though she could not confirm if he had already received the petition.

“Kung wala naman tayong malalabag na batas at ito ay ikakabuti ng ating kababayan, makakakuha naman tayo po malamang ng positibong reaksyon dito,” Castro said.

Veloso’s parents, along with civil society organizations, marched to Malacañang on Friday to submit a clemency petition bearing over 13,000 signatures from supporters. The appeal asks the President to act before his upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28.

Veloso, a Filipino overseas worker, was convicted in Indonesia in 2010 for drug trafficking. After years of diplomatic efforts, she was repatriated to the Philippines in December last year. She is now detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.

President Marcos has previously acknowledged the efforts of his administration and those of past Presidents to seek clemency and commutation of sentence for Veloso.

Her return to the Philippines was made possible through coordination between the Marcos administration and the Indonesian government under President Prabowo Subianto.