FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the government remains optimistic that the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, will reduce the penalty of Filipino migrant workers May Vecina and Marilou Ranario, who have been sentenced to die by hanging.

The implementation of the death sentence on the two is set to be implemented in less than two months.

Romulo said President Arroyo, in her visit to Kuwait in December last year, made the first appeal to reduce the death sentence to life imprisonment for the female Filipino workers.

He added that Vice President Noli de Castro handed over to the Kuwaiti emir the government’s second appeal to save the lives of Vecina and Ranario during his visit to Kuwait early this month.

“The Emir told the Vice President that he would give President Arroyo’s appeal serious consideration,” said Romulo in a statement Thursday.

He said the government’s efforts to save the life of Vecina continue.

“There is no commutation order issued yet, but the government remains optimistic.”

Vecina, 28, was convicted by killing her employer’s youngest son, Salem Sulaiman Al-Otaib, January 6 last, year, as well as attempting to kill his 13-year-old brother Abdullah by slitting his throat and stabbing his 17-year-old sister Hajer.

Her death sentence was declared final and executory in January by the Kuwait Court of Cassation.

The court’ ruling, however, must still be approved by the emir.

Ranario, on the other hand has been convicted by the Court of Cassation for killing her employer on January 10, 2005. Her death sentence was declared final and executory in December 2007.

Cabinet studies ways to cut power rates

THE Cabinet Study Group tasked to look into the issue of power rates has created a technical working group to further thresh out the recommendations made by top executives of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) during a meeting on Thursday.

THE National Association of Electricity Consumers (Nasecore) Thursday filed a P889 million large-scale estafa case before the Department of Justice against officials of the Lopez-managed Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) in connection with the power distributor’s move to convert as income the interest earned by the meter and bill deposits of its subscribers.

THE question of whether the proxy solicitation done by the Lopez bloc is illegal or not will be determined Friday afternoon in a hearing supervised by corporate regulator Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

ZAMBOANGA CITY—A powerful bomb exploded outside the main gate of the Col. Edwin Andrews Air Base (EAAB) that houses the 3rd Air Division of the Air Force (PAF) in barangay Santa Maria this city, killing two people and wounding 21 others.

POLICE tracking down the assailants in the bloody bank robbery in Cabuyao, Laguna, two weeks ago killed a man and arrested five others in simultaneous operations in the province and in Batangas, Thursday.

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the government remains optimistic that the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, will reduce the penalty of Filipino migrant workers May Vecina and Marilou Ranario, who have been sentenced to die by hanging.

ELECTIONS Commissioner Romeo Brawner succumbed to a heart attack Thursday while he was confined at a hospital in Quezon City, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced.