Last year's murder of a Coca-Cola executive shocked Filipinos

The decision was taken after the court heard new arguments by public defenders seeking to prove that Robert Lara and Roderick Licayan were innocent.

Chief public defender Percida Acosta said she was "confident" that the court would reopen the case and deter this Friday's execution by lethal injection.

The last execution in the Philippines was carried out in 2000.

Last month, President Gloria Arroyo lifted a four-year-old moratorium on death penalty, opening the way for the executions to resume.

Her decision, which comes ahead of presidential elections in 2004, followed a series of kidnappings which particularly targeted the ethnic Chinese community.

Heated debates

"I think there would be a miscarriage of justice if these two are executed," Ms Acosta said, after presenting the fresh arguments in court in the capital Manila.

Ms Acosta said that a lower court that convicted the two men had failed to give them due process by not allowing witnesses' testimony to corroborate defendants' claims of innocence.

A decision now was expected on Tuesday whether the court would reopen the case, Senior Associate Justice Reynato Puno was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye told reporters that the Supreme Court had "enough time to act on the matter".

"We'll just wait for whatever decision or action is taken," Mr Bunye said.

In the past, President Arroyo has used her powers to grant clemency to those sentenced to death by the courts.

But last month she said she "shall no longer stand in the way of executions".

Experts say the debate whether to execute the two convicted men has divided many Filipinos.

Supporters of capital punishment argue that it deters would-be criminals.