December 13, 2000, ABS-CBN, 1:07 AM, Commutation fitting end to Catholic Jubilee Year,

MALACAÑANG (ABS-CBN) -- The commutation of death sentences to life imprisonment, which will save some 105 death convicts from the lethal chamber, is a 'fitting end to the Jubilee Year", Catholic Church officials said Tuesday.

Fr. Anton Pascual a member of the conscience committee tasked to review cases of convicts scheduled for execution, said the commutation is "humane" and "appropriate" for the Great Jubilee as it offers brand new lives for these death convicts.

"We welcome the commutation for the 105 convicts and we hope they can use this new lease on life to reform themselves and make amends," said Pascual.

The President announced at the St. Jude Thaddeus Shrine in Bacolod on Sunday that he would order the sentences of death convicts replaced to life imprisonment in observance of the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year.

Pascual, however, further urged the government to scrap the death penalty law as this has never been effective in deterring heinous crimes.

"Even before, we have said that we don't believe the death penalty would be an effective deterrent to heinous crimes," he said.

Earlier, Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ricardo "Dong" Puno Jr. said that while there are some 1,200 criminals meted the death penalty by lower courts, only 105 of these have had their cases finally reviewed by the Supreme Court, which could be considered for the commutation.

"There are a lot of cases decided by the lower courts but are on appeal. Until there is final judgment, they don't qualify for this particular clemency yet," Puno said.

Puno further clarified that these 105, however, are in no way pardoned or declared innocent as their cases would merely be converted down to life sentences.

Moreover, he stressed the President's order was not given in a way overlooking the problems of heinous crimes. The decision was made based on the CBCP's request last February to lower the death penalty into life imprisonment instead.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines CBCP) maintained they would continue to call for Estrada's resignation despite his order to commute the sentences of death row convicts into life imprisonment.

CBCP Assistant Secretary General, Monsignor Pedro Quitorio emphasized they have been demanding for the abolition of the death penalty law long before they started urging Estrada to step down from office. Hence, the issue of the abolition of the death sentence is different from the Catholic Church's demand for the President's ouster.

"Magkaibang issue ito, magkaiba iba ang issue tungkol sa impeachment iba po yung issue na noon pa namin hinihingi na tungkol sa death sentences [These are two different issues, the issue about the impeachment is different from the issue on death penalty which we long have been clamoring]," Quitorio remarked.

He stressed the President should consider stepping down as he had lost "moral ascendancy" to lead the country.

However, Parañaque representative Roilo Golez said Estrada's directive to commute the sentence of 1,500 death row inmates and release of 200 political prisoners is only a ploy to win the church's waning sympathy for him.

More so, Golez said, the President's order would directly circumvent the constitution. 

But Agusan del Norte solon Roan Libarios commended the decision to commute death penalty into life imprisonment, citing a house study which shows the re-instatement of the death penalty failed to deter crimes as proven by the increasing statistics of heinous crimes in the country.