MANILA, Philippines - Taiwan's Court of Appeals on Friday granted overseas Filipino worker Cecilia Armia Alcaraz, a.k.a. Nemencia Panaglima, sufficient time to appeal her death sentence, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

In a text message to GMANews.TV the DFA quoted reports from Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) managing director Antonio Basilio saying that Alcaraz's appeal was heard Friday morning in Taiwan's southern city of Kaoshiung.

"The appellate judge gave Alcaraz and her lawyer time to go over the lower court judgment and to file the appeal brief," DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal said in a text message.

Cristobal said no date yet has been set for the next hearing.

Last September 30, the Kaoshiung district court sentenced Alcaraz to death for robbing and murdering Chiu Mei-yun (English name: Anita), a broker for English teachers in Taiwan.

According to documents sent by MECO to GMANews.TV, the Taiwanese court found the Filipino academic tutor guilty of murdering Chiu in 2007.

Alcaraz entered Taiwan on September 12, 2001 as a caretaker. After running away from her employer, she met an American, David Michael Fillion, who became her live-in boyfriend in 2003.
In 2004 when she was working as an academic tutor, Alcaraz met Chiu.

On September 12, 2007, she called Chiu to her residence. They had an argument following the meeting, and Alcaraz reportedly stabbed Chiu after the Taiwanese woman scolded her.

The Filipina allegedly stole several cell phones and a total of 13, 790 Taiwanese dollars (US$43) in cash from Chiu and forced the woman to disclose the PIN of her several ATM cards. Alcaraz later withdrew the cash, while Chiu went into a shock and died.

When Alcaraz was certain that Chiu was dead she cleaned the blood stains and disposed of the body in a container bag.

The police on patrol found the 'suspicious' bag container and traced the crime scene to Alcaraz's residence. A short knife was confiscated, according to court records.

Alcaraz's boyfriend was also implicated in the crime but was taken off the charge sheet when the American committed suicide in June 8, 2008 upon his return to the US.

On Thursday, Alcaraz's brother, Jesus and her sister-in-law Leticia Jao, boarded a Cebu Pacific flight to Kaoshiung to attend the hearing.

Rosalinda, Alcaraz's elder sister, told GMANews.TV that the MECO shouldered the travel expenses of Armia and Jao, who will be staying in Taiwan for five days.

MECO is Manila's de-facto embassy in Taiwan, where some 90,000 Filipino are employed. The Philippines has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan regarded by mainland China as its renegade province.

"Hopefully they could help in the appeal for my sister's freedom," Rosalinda said in an interview on Thursday.

Cristobal said that the MECO has just completed translating to English the Taiwanese court documents.

"They will provide the documents to Alcaraz and her lawyers," Cristobal said. - GMANews.TV