More than a hundred Philippines death convicts have...

More than a hundred Philippines death convicts have a new lease on life. The Supreme Court acquitted 78 death convicts (half of whom were candidates for lethal injection) and commuted the sentences of 107 others to life imprisonment.
Public Attorney's Office chief Persida Rueda-Acosta confirmed the high tribunal's decisions, which were handed down starting from February 2001 up to the present.
According to Acosta, 95 percent of these were rape cases involving minors. Although rape is a crime punishable by death, special consideration was given to offenders who had been minor at the time the crime was committed. She said among the reasons the Supreme Court cited for acquitting or commuting the death sentences were "minority" and "lack of aggravating circumstances."
Ironically, one of those who had been given a reprieve died in 2001, before the high tribunal's decision was handed down.
"From now on, behave well and amend your life so that the President would grant you pardon," Acosta told the inmates at the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City.
The decision followed years of unflagging appeals by PAO lawyers all of whom were working pro bono for the death row inmates.
"We spent about a year submitting briefings to the Supreme Court just so we could spare the death row convicts from lethal injection," said Amelia Garchitorena, head of the special appeals cases division of PAO.
"I am grateful to the PAO lawyers who selflessly worked for the reduction of our sentences," said Senior Insp. Restituto Cablayan, a former Valenzuela City station chief who was sentenced to die by lethal injection for raping a detainee.
Meanwhile, four death convicts are scheduled for execution in 2002.
According to Bureau of Corrections Director Ricardo Macala, the executions could start as early as August 30. He refused to name the death convict. Earlier reports indicated that the first to face the injection is Alfredo Naldo, whose sentence was affirmed by the Supreme Court on March 1, 2001. The decision became final and executory on April 17, 2001.
Another one is scheduled on Sept. 20 and two more on Oct.16 and 31.
There are 15 more convicts on death row. Of this number, 12 are rapists, two are kidnappers and one was convicted of robbery-homicide.