A Filipina on death row in Indonesia could be home before Christmas after Manila and Jakarta signed an agreement to repatriate her, officials said on Friday.

Mother of two Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in 2010 after the suitcase she was carrying was found to be lined with 2.6 kilogrammes of heroin.

Her supporters claim she was duped by an international drug syndicate, and in 2015, she narrowly escaped execution after her suspected recruiter was arrested.

"We agree to return the person concerned to the Philippines," Indonesia's senior law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra told reporters after signing a "practical arrangement" for Veloso's repatriation in Jakarta.

"Mary Jane Veloso becomes the responsibility of the Philippines," he said, adding that he had heard that the death penalty would be changed to life imprisonment.

Yusril said the transfer could be carried out "before Christmas."

"Maybe around December 20 it can be realised."

Veloso's mother said she was "elated and surprised" to hear of her daughter's homecoming.

"We can finally be together this Christmas," Celia Veloso, 65, said. "This might be the happiest Christmas we will ever have as a family."

Veloso's case sparked uproar in the Philippines, with rallies of support and world boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao pleading for her life.

Her supporters said she was headed to work as a maid when she was arrested in Indonesia.

She was due to face the firing squad in 2015 but the Philippine government won a last-minute reprieve for her after a woman suspected of recruiting her was arrested and put on trial for human trafficking and Veloso was named as a prosecution witness.

The Philippines' Department of Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez expressed "heartfelt gratitude" over Veloso's repatriation.

"We are hopeful that we will be able to do this before Christmas so that it will be a happier Christmas for everyone," he said.

The Velosos have "long been wanting to see their family back and hold her in their arms."

Vasquez said Veloso would serve her sentence "as agreed upon, in accordance with Philippine laws."

"We do understand and we respect the decision of the Indonesian courts with respect to the sentence that was meted out to our citizen Mary Jane Veloso," he said. (AFP)