2 convicts to die before Holy Week

Two convicted rapists are set to die by lethal injection before the Holy Week, a source at the Bureau of Corrections said yesterday.

The source said Esteban Victor will be executed on March 29, while Gregorio Pagupat will be put to death on April 5.

Their deaths will bring to nine the total number of convicts executed since capital punishment was restored in January 1994.

The convictions of Victor and Pagupat were affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1998. Both were convicted of raping their teenage stepdaughters.

Since capital punishment was reimposed, the high tribunal has affirmed the cases of 80 death convicts. Sixty-seven of them remain on death row, awaiting the schedule of their executions.

The 80 include 31 convicted of incest rape, 25 of simple rape, 11 of rape-slay, five of robbery-rape, three of kidnapping with murder, one of drug trafficking and four of robbery-homicide.

Of the 80, seven have already been executed, five had their penalties lowered to life impriosnment, and one, deaf-mute Marlon Paraza, was given a new trial.

The seven already executed are: rapists Leo Echegaray, Eduardo Agbayani, Pablito Andan, Alex Bartolome, and cop-killers Dante Piandong, Jesus Morallos, and Archie Bulan.