Correspondent John McLean: No further obstacle to Echegaray's execution

The decision gives the Supreme Court the green light to lift a stay on the execution of convicted child rapist Leo Echegaray.

Although the death penalty was reintroduced in 1994, it has not yet been enforced.

Echegaray's wife is campaigning against the execution

Echegaray was due to be put to death by lethal injection on 4 January, but the Supreme Court granted an 11th hour reprieve to allow parliament to review the law if it wished.

The court is to rule on Tuesday on a government petition demanding that the execution take place immediately.

Echegaray, who was convicted in 1994 of repeatedly raping a 10-year-old girl, is among more than 850 death row inmates.

President Joseph Estrada has already said he will not pardon Echegaray.

Mr Estrada has also turned down appeals from the Vatican, the European Union and Canada to cancel the execution and abolish capital punishment.

Conviction rates rocket

Lawyers opposed to capital punishement warn the number of death row inmates in the Philippines could swell to more than 50,000 within five years at the current rate of sentencing.

The number of prisoners on death row is soaring

The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) said it was too easy for innocent people to be convicted given "the imperfections, weaknesses and problems of the Philippine justice system."

A study released just hours before the parliament vote showed showed a 65-fold increase in the number of condemned prisoners in the last five years.

FLAG said 46 crimes were subject to the death penalty - an excessive figure by the standards of the UN Human Rights Committee which considers 11 capital crimes a "high number".

Wife and victim pray together

On Monday, Echegaray's wife, Zenaida, delivered a letter from her husband to Manila's influential archbishop Cardinal Jaime Sin asking for help.

"I'm a victim of injustice. Please help me to live on because I'm the only hope of my children," Echegaray wrote.

Cardinal Sin celebrated mass at his residence attended by Zenaida and Echegaray's victim, who is now 15.