Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said Jakarta has agreed to indefinitely remove Filipino convict Mary Jane Veloso from death row in Indonesia.

He did not elaborate in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who was on a 24-hour working visit in Indonesia yesterday, told reporters on Monday he would try to intercede on behalf of Veloso with Indonesian President Joko Widodo "in a most respectful and in a very, very courteous way".

Veloso was convicted of trying to smuggle 2.6kg of heroin into Indonesia in 2010.

She faced execution last year, but a case filed against her recruiter in the Philippines won her a reprieve.

Raul Dancel