Philippine President Gloria Arroyo lifted a nearly...

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo lifted a nearly four-year moratorium on the death penalty following intense pressure from anti-crime groups and businesses over increasing kidnappings and violence.
"I shall no longer stand in the way of the executions scheduled by the courts for January, 2004," Arroyo told police at their Manila headquarters.
"It's time for me to take a stand for the people on this issue and against kidnappings," she added.
A moratorium on executions has been in place since March 2000, imposed by then-president Joseph Estrada after pressure from the Roman Catholic Church which opposes capital punishment. Arroyo, a devout Catholic who came to power in a popular uprising that removed Estrada in January 2001, had maintained the freeze in executions.
Her decision came after a surge in kidnappings for ransom and other violent crimes which led to an outcry from the business community, particularly the economically-influential Filipino-Chinese who were being targeted.
There are about 1,000 people on death row in the Philippines where kidnapping for ransom, rape and possession of large amounts of illegal drugs are punishable by death through lethal injection.
Arroyo's spokesman Ricardo Saludo said there were 35 death row convicts scheduled for execution next year, with two kidnappers due for execution on January 30.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines criticized Arroyo's move.