Strunk will not be meted death penalty

Despite the existence of the death penalty both in the Philippines and California, American Rod Lawrence Strunk would not be meted with the capital offense after all.

This is because President Arroyo is a devoted Catholic, who opposes the death penalty and promotes life instead, said a ranking official of the National Bureau of Investigation, which has been closely coordinating with US Department of Justice attaché Jeffrey Cole on the development of the case.

"Dito sa atin hindi na na-implement ang death penalty ( Here the death sentence is no longer implemented)," said the source, as the President, on the prodding of the Church, has long lifted the execution of the capital offense and Strunk might be one of the lucky ones not to be executed despite the seriousness of the offense he allegedy committed.

Strunk was tagged as the mastermind in the murder of his wife, by self-confessed killer Philip Medel, who claimed, commissioned him to kill Nida Blanca for P50,000.

Medel later retracted his statement but his retraction did not stop the DOJ and the NBI from filing the charges against Strunk at the Pasig court, which eventually issued a warrant for his arrest.