Estrada rejects clemency appeal

Estrada rejects clemency appeal

MANILA (AP): President Joseph Estrada said on Friday he will
not grant clemency to a child rapist scheduled to become the
first criminal executed in the Philippines in 23 years.

Leo Echegaray, who was convicted of repeatedly raping his 10-
year-old stepdaughter, insisted on his innocence in a statement
on Thursday and appealed to Estrada for clemency.

"Up to my last breath I will tell the world that I'm a victim
of injustice and that I'm innocent," Echegaray said in a
statement.

Echegaray, 38, also urged the Congress to review a law that
restored capital punishment in the country, saying many inmates
ended up in prison because they were too poor to afford good
lawyers.

Echegaray, a poor house painter and restaurant waiter, is
scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Feb. 5.