Mothers' Day is sweeter for Cecilia Alcaraz

MANILA, Philippines - After her death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, Cecilia Armia Alcaraz is happy to live longer for her children and celebrate Mothers’ day on May 10 behind bars in Taiwan. The 47-year-old mother of two was thankful her sentence was reduced on Sunday, after appealing before the Kaoshiung District Court, Manila’s de-facto embassy in Taiwan said. Antonio Basilio, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) resident representative, said Alcaraz heard the court’s decision via live video feed in another room. "We will be holding further meetings with Cecille to discuss options available after this morning's development. But we are grateful for the High Court's understanding and compassion for striking down the district court decision meting death to Cecille," Basilio said. Alacaraz had a tearful reunion with her two sons, Shalom, 20, and Jerome, 18, when they visited her in Kaoshiung in March. The last time Alcaraz saw her kids in person was in 2001, when she first left for Taiwan to work. Since then, things have changed in their household. Shalom only finished junior high school as he was forced to quit his studies to work and augment the family’s income. Meanwhile, Jerome is still in high school. Aside from her sons, MECO paid for the travel expenses of Cecile’s sister Rosie. Last year, MECO shouldered the trip of her brother and sister-in-law when they visited Taiwan. Basilio said Alcaraz was treated well in the detention cell and has in fact made a few friends. “From time to time, she is asked to interpret for non-Chinese speaking inmates," Basilio said, “She met her children in a visiting room where she was able to sit with them and hug them frequently during the visit which lasted an hour." No reason to kill MECO reported that Alcaraz’s lawyer Jiao Wen Chen asked the High Court to overturn the district court decision last Sept. 30, since there was reasonable doubt that she killed Taiwanese Mrs. Chiu Mei-yun. “During the final hearing, Atty. Jiao forcefully argued that Armia did not have any financial difficulties that may have compelled her to kill Mrs. Chiu, nor was it logical for her to have invited Mrs. Chiu to [Alcaraz’s] home and kill her there," the MECO reported. “He said Armia did not have any cuts and bruises that would have indicated a death-struggle with Mrs. Chiu, and that the prosecution itself was initially uncertain that Armia could have killed Mrs. Chiu by herself," it added. Alcaraz deserves better Despite the decision, Migrante International still lamented the current situation of Alcaraz and admitted the imprisoned teacher deserved better. A Taiwanese lower court sentenced Alcaraz – alias Nemencia Armia – to death through firing squad for robbery and murder of her employer Jum Mei Yung in September 12, 2007. Migrante chairman Gary Martinez said had the Philippine government not sat on Alcarz’s case, the embattled OFW should have not been sent to jail in the first place. Martinez maintained that Alcaraz was only forced to admit to the crime because her life was being threatened. Alcaraz had said in earlier reports that two Taiwanese were the real killers. At the same time, some 30 Migrante members trooped Monday morning to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) office along Roxas Boulevard in Manila to urge the government to work out Alcaraz’s freedom. Alcaraz is a single parent with four children, who left her job as merchandiser for Robinson's Department Store as the pay was not enough to provide for her family's needs. She had been appealing to the government to help her, saying she did not want to suffer the same fate as her fellow OFW Jenifer Bidoya, beheaded in Saudi Arabia last year for murder. - MARK JOSEPH H. UBALDE with Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV