4-year-old girl saw doomed dad on TV

BACOOR, Cavite—In a letter, the 4-year-old daughter of doomed convict Ramon Credo drew three hearts and three stick figures representing a father, a mother and a child. The words “I love you dad” were scrawled almost illegibly.

Credo’s wife said she handed the letter, along with her daughter’s recent photos, to Credo’s mother Dolores who flew to China on Sunday.

“We hope he is able to read the letter,” she said, adding that she had refused to travel to China because it meant leaving her child behind.

Although their respective families are neighbors in this town, the couple lost communication about three years ago when they separated.

“I told him [in the letter] that I have forgiven him already, and I promised him I will raise our child well. I also asked for forgiveness. I am sure it was not all his fault that our marriage failed. I hope all these somehow lightens his burden,” the wife said.

The marriage turned sour when Credo was recruited to work abroad for a furniture business.

“I sensed it was something illegal because he rarely came home and always kept secrets from me,” the wife said.

Crying for daddy

When news of Credo’s impending execution in China broke, it was the daughter who first saw it on TV. “She knew her father’s name and recognized his picture,” the wife said.

Credo’s mother-in-law said the child somehow understood what had happened to her father: “She would tell us she pitied her daddy because he would be killed. At night, she and her mother would cry inside their room.”

Despite the failed relationship, the wife said she was still hoping for a “miracle” that would at least delay the execution.

“If not as a wife, but at least as a person, I believe killing someone as a punishment is too much. There are others who commit crimes and they get away with it. It just so happened he is in China,” she said, adding:

“I am still hoping we can get back together. But I think I am already losing that hope.”

In a prayer service organized by Migrante International Tuesday night, candles were lit in front of the Credos’ residence and a Mass followed by a brief program was held at the Panapaan 7 barangay hall.

Migrante members said they would return early Wednesday to join the family members in awaiting the hour of Credo’s execution.