THE PRESIDENT COMMUTES ALL IN DEATH ROW LIST TO LIFE TERMS

 President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has commuted to life imprisonment all death sentences of convicts facing lethal injection. In a radio interview, Executive Secretary Renato de Villa yesterday said the President approved the recommendation of the Department of Justice (DoJ) to commute the death sentences, although he did not say how many were covered by the order. He clarified, however, that the President did not issue an official stand on the death penalty, a controversial practice reimposed by Congress in 1994. "So if that (commutation of the death sentences) is indicative of the policy, then it is in that in direction. But until she comes out with it by herself and be precise about it, I cannot presume that that is the policy." Mr. de Villa said the President is personally against death penalty although she never issued a formal pronouncement on the subject. "Her decisions on the recommendations for those who are due for execution speak for themselves." The influential Roman Catholic Church is against the imposition of the death penalty, and Ms. Macapagal-Arroyo is known to be religious and is close to Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin. Her predecessor, ousted President Joseph Estrada, in December last year also issued a similar order commuting all death sentences to life imprisonment. The order was a follow-up to Mr. Estrada's imposition of a moratorium on executions starting March 2000 in observance of the Jubilee Year of the birth of Jesus Christ as celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church. Although there was an earlier confusion as to who were covered by Mr. Estrada's order, then executive secretary Ronaldo B. Zamora said the order only covers some 400 to 500 convicts, or those with final judgments by the Supreme Court (SC). Cases decided by the SC have to be reviewed by the Presidential Conscience Committee, which created by Mr. Estrada. As of December last year, the committee had reviewed the cases of 105 convicts, whose sentences were all commuted to life imprisonment. Mr. de Villa said even if the President decides to openly voice her opposition to the death penalty, the law should still be repealed by Congress. Under the death penalty law, the President has the power and authority to commute death sentences.