FACT CHECK: No national hero status for Mary Jane Veloso
Claim: Mary Jane Veloso, a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who had been on death row in Indonesia over drug trafficking charges, is being hailed as a national hero following her return to the Philippines.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The claim appeared in a YouTube video titled “Mary Jane Veloso, gagawing patron saints and hero ng Bagong Pilipinas/Cong. Paolo Du30 sumagot sa kaso!”
(Mary Jane Veloso, to be made a patron saint and hero of the New Philippines / Cong. Paolo Duterte responds to the case!)
A channel with 316,000 subscribers posted the video on December 19, a day after Veloso returned to the Philippines. As of writing, the video has 5,146 views, 288 likes, and 80 comments.
The video’s thumbnail prominently features a photo of Veloso with her hands clasped, placed below the Bagong Pilipinas logo and the text “National Hero.” The thumbnail also includes the text “Gusto maging bayani? Mag drug mule ka (Want to be a hero? Be a drug mule).”
The facts: No official statements about Veloso being considered for national hero status have been made. The video merely relies on a clickbait title and screenshots of social media posts referring to Veloso as a “drug mule-turned-hero.” However, the video offers no substantial evidence to support its claim.
The video’s thumbnail showing Veloso with the “National Hero” tag is from an image uploaded by the Facebook page AMP Satire on December 19. The satire page mainly produces AI-generated videos and parody content about the Marcos administration.
Despite the image bearing the word “satire,” several comments on the video suggest that some users are concerned about the possibility of Veloso being made into a national hero.
One comment reads, “OFW ako pero mas nakakahiya gawing hero ang isang galing sa prison (I’m an OFW but it’s embarrassing to make someone from prison a hero)” while another reads, “Saang dictionary mababasa na pwedeng gawing hero ang isang drug mule (In what dictionary can you find that a drug mule can be made into a hero?)”
The video seems to have used the “National Hero” label and the satire tag to make the false claim. (READ: SATIRE VS FAKE NEWS: Can you tell the difference?)
Contextual shift: The YouTube video uses Veloso’s case and the government’s efforts to bring her home to criticize Marcos for his alleged leniency toward individuals involved in drug-related offenses. It contrasts this with the portrayal of former president Rodrigo Duterte as a staunch advocate against illegal drugs.
Veloso, who was convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia in 2010 and later sentenced to death, returned to the Philippines in December 2024 after 14 years in prison. She is now serving her sentence under Philippine jurisdiction, awaiting potential clemency from Marcos. (READ: After returning home, what fate awaits Mary Jane Veloso?)
Veloso has always maintained her innocence, claiming she was duped into becoming a drug mule. Migrant workers’ groups say the former OFW is a victim of trafficking, with Migrante International chairperson Joanna Concepcion describing Veloso as “a living hero to countless other migrants in the greater fight to end human trafficking.”
Becoming a hero: While there are no laws officially proclaiming someone a national hero, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines has codified criteria for an individual to be declared a hero. These include significant contributions to the country, sacrifices made for the welfare of the nation, and the moral character of the individual. (READ: FAST FACTS: What makes a Filipino historical figure a national hero?) – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com
Efren Cyril Bocar is a student journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar, enrolled in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. A managing editor of Amaranth, Cyril is an Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2024.
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