Families of death convicts hope for reopening of case

Convicted kidnappers Roberto Lara and Roderick Licayan may have been spared from their execution scheduled this afternoon. But their families and supporters continued to agonize over their impending deaths.

New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) chaplain Msgr. Roberto Olaguer said "there was happiness, but for a limited time only." He said the families understand very well that the suspension of the execution was only temporary.

"I told them the decision of the Supreme Court on the reopening of the case is yet to come," said the priest. "So, their celebration was limited to one day only."

He noted that Benilda, the mother of Lara, has never stopped crying.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a temporary suspension of execution of Lara and Licayan to review the motion to reopen their cases filed by Public Attorney’s Office on Jan. 15.

The high tribunal gave itself at most 30 days to decide on the issue.

The convicts’ co-accused, Pedro Mabansag and Rogelio delos Reyes, were recently arrested and cleared Lara and Licayan from any significant participation during the 1998 kidnapping of Joseph Thomas Co and Linda Manansay.

Their affidavits as well as the comment of Solicitor General Alfredo Benipayo would be considered by the SC in reviewing the case.