Former Davao City policeman Rolando Pagdayaon, 43, and former taxi driver Filomeno Serrano, 46, both convicted child rapists, are scared of meeting death on the days appointed for their execution by lethal injection.
But both of them, like most of the inmates at the New Bilibid Prisons’ death row, maintain that they are innocent of the crime for which they were convicted. Both also insist they were only framed up by their wives.
After he learned yesterday of his impending execution on Aug. 30, Pagdayaon, 43, told The STAR he was scared to die. He recited a litany of his virtues that he said merited a commutation of his death sentence.
He said he found religion under the guidance of prison chaplain Jerry Olaguer. He said he reads the Bible as often as he can. He said he has left his fate to God who will see him through.
But never did Pagdayaon, a law enforcer for 12 years, say that he indeed raped his 11-year-old stepdaughter in 1996, as had been established by the Davao City regional trial court and affirmed by the Supreme Court.
Instead, he claimed the charges against him were trumped up by his wife, Hazel, because she wanted to get rid of him.
"She was having an affair with another man," Pagdayaon said in Filipino, with a trace of bitterness in his voice. Pagdayaon and his wife have no children of their own and none of his relatives has visited him since he was incarcerated in 1997.
"Sometimes, I cry because my family is so far away. Nobody visits me," he said, explaining that his relatives in Davao were too poor to pay for the trip to Manila.
"Sabi sa akin ni Father (Olaguer), huwag daw ako mag-alala kasi malayo pa ang execution ko. Pero kahit na. Pagkatapos, ikaw na rin eh (Father Olaguer told me not to worry because my execution was still far off. But even so, you’ll still be it in the end)," he said.
"Kung sa akin lang, kung kalooban ng Presidente na mabuhay pa ako... (As for me, if the President can find it in her that I should still live)" Pagdayaon’s voice trailed off. After a brief pause, he said: "Huwag naman sana bitay (I wish it wouldn’t be death)."
Pagdayaon will be the first death row convict to be executed under President Arroyo who had earlier said she was not inclined to implement Republic Act No. 7659, or the Heinous Crimes Law of 1994.
For his part, Serrano, who is scheduled to be executed on Sept. 20 also insists that he is innocent.
"I am not a bad person," Serrano told The STAR in Filipino. "My wife only made me look like I was a bad person."
But records of Pasig City Executive Judge Edwin Villasor showed that he indeed raped his 13-year-old daughter seven years ago.
The court established that, while he was raping his daughter, Serrano even told her that he would make her his new wife because he no longer loved her mother, whom he often beat up whenever he was drunk.
Serrano also claims that his second wife and the victim’s mother, Adel, wanted him jailed because she was having an affair with their neighbor.
In an unguarded moment, however, Serrano practically admitted (and then denied) his crime and claimed he had already asked for forgiveness from his daughter, who is now 20 years old. He said his imprisonment was punishment enough.
"I am even willing to stay here for the rest of my life, even if I am innocent," Serrano said desperately.
The STAR was able to have a lengthy interview with Serrano’s wife but the following day she asked that her interview not be published so she and her children can get on with their lives.
"Ayaw na namin, ng mga anak ko, na pag-usapan pa ito (My children and I no longer want to talk about this)," Serrano’s wife said. "Basta gusto ko matuloy ang hatol ng gobyerno sa kanya (I just want the government’s verdict against him to be carried out)."
Unlike Pagdayaon, however, Serrano has a supportive family who are desperately pleading for his life.
"Medyo balisa na kami. Iniisip namin siya. Lalo na ngayon, isang buwan na lang (We are tormented. We think about him. Especially now that only a month remains)," said Serrano’s older brother Jorge.
His sister Fely also lamented that her brother, who reached only Grade 4 and never learned to read and write, would have to be executed.
"I think the irony of it all is, just when my brother learned how to read and write at the NBP, they would kill him," Aling Fely said in Filipino.
"Mahina talaga ang ulo ko. Nasa Grade 4 na ako, pinapabalik pa ako ng titser ko sa Grade 2 (I was always slow. I was already in Grade 4 but my teacher wanted to demote me to Grade 2)," Serrano said.
"Paano ko maipapakita sa lipunan na nagbago na ako, na marami akong natutunan, kung patay na ako? (How can I show society that I have changed, that I have learned a lot, if I am already dead?)
"It pains us to think that he would die, a punishment over something that he never did. He was always a good child," said Jorge.
There are 1,015 convicts on death row. Of the figure, 84 have been affirmed by the Supreme Court while 18 have already been scheduled for execution.
Of the 18 death convicts set to be executed this year, 14 are rapists, two are kidnappers and one was convicted for robbery-homicide.
The convicted rapists are Pagdayaon, Serrano, Alfredo Nardo, Reynaldo Rebato, Alejandro Guntang, Juan Manalo, Ramshad Thasey, Ramil Velez Rayos, Nonelito Abenion, Roberto Palero, Castro Geraban, Alejo Miasco, Sandy Hinto, Ireneo Padilla and Pablo Santos.
The convicted kidnappers are Roderick Licayan and Roberto Lara while the man convicted of robbery with homicide is Reynaldo Morial.
After Serrano, the next convict set to be executed via lethal injection on Oct. 16 is Nardo, who was also convicted of rape by a Legaspi City court.