Erap: Echegaray kin should ask for compensation

Deposed President Joseph Estrada on Wednesday advised the family of Leo Echegaray to ask compensation from the government for the former convict's alleged wrongful execution in February 1999. Interviewed at the Sandiganbayan, Estrada also commended Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban for being honest in admitting the alleged mistake in the execution of Echegaray. Echegaray, a house painter, was the first convict in the Philippines to be executed in 23 years. Capital punishment was re-imposed in 1995. During his incumbency as president, Estrada staved off calls from the Catholic Church to give Echegaray a reprieve. The ousted leader's statement then was: "The case of Echegaray was thoroughly reviewed by the Supreme Court as it affirmed the conviction by the trial court. Further, the Supreme Court had overwhelmingly -- overwhelmingly, I repeat -- upheld the constitutional validity of the death penalty." "Today's (Feb. 5, 1999) execution is proof of the government's determination to maintain law and order -- that Mr. Echegaray's death serve as a strong warning against the criminal elements." "In my administration, we will prove that crime does not pay. I would like to stress that the crime committed by Mr. Echegaray is not poverty-related but an act of bestiality which deserves the stiffest penalty under the law." "It is my sole duty to faithfully execute the laws of the land unless RA 7659 restoring the death penalty is repealed by Congress. It will be implemented strictly." Minutes before the execution, Estrada reportedly tried to call up prison officials to stop the execution but allegedly failed to get through the congested phone lines. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr earlier said the government should pay the family of Echegaray between P5 million and P10 million as compensation if indeed he was wrongfully executed. Speaking before before members of the Free Legal Assistance Group, Panganiban said Echegaray might have been a victim of erroneous execution. He noted that it was not proven during the trial that he was either the father or stepfather, or even grandfather, of the girl, which would make his crime heinous and punishable by death. SC spokesman Ismael Khan said Panganiban, along with Associate Justices Reynato Puno and Jose Vitug, voted against Echegaray's conviction. Khan also said it was not only now that Panganiban had expressed his views about alleged errors in the execution of Echegaray. He said the Chief Justice have written about it in his three books, among them "Leadership by Example" in 1999 and "Battles in the Supreme Court" in 1998.-GMANews.TV