Estrada to Commute Death Sentences

Philippine President Joseph Estrada, undergoing an impeachment trial, announced that he will order the commutation of all death sentences to life imprisonment. More than 1,500 people have been sentenced to death in the Philippines since capital punishment was restored in 1994, though no executions were carried out until last year. Meanwhile, in a Manila hospital, former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos was conscious after being operated on, apparently for a blood clot in her brain, a relative and hospital staff said. Marcos, 71, is the widow of strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos.