GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
Antonio Sanchez release may take several years —Faeldon
Convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez may not be walking out of prison anytime soon after all.
This, according to Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon, was based on a "preliminary" finding that showed the former Calauan, Laguna mayor was not yet qualified to be released from prison.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the BuCor informed him that they will evaluate Sanchez's case next month.
“Preliminary, kasi marami siyang involvement sa some not good behaviors, eh baka hindi nga siya qualified, that’s really the probability,” Faeldon told reporters when asked for an initial finding.
“He may not be qualified to go home today or in the next few months, mukhang hindi siya makakapasok agad. Baka abutin pa siya ng several years,” he added.
Faeldon earlier told the public not to assume Sanchez would walk free from the New Bilibid Prison as authorities have yet to recompute possible time off from his sentence of seven terms of reclusion perpetua handed down by a Pasig judge in 1995 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 1999.
It was earlier reported that Sanchez, who was convicted in the 1993 rape and murder of Eileen Sarmenta and the murder of her friend, Allan Gomez, is one of thousands of inmates eligible for time reductions to their sentence due to good conduct time allowances (GCTA).
READ: What the law says about good conduct time allowances
BuCor personnel are recomputing GCTAs due to some 11,000 inmates in accordance with a recent Supreme Court ruling that declared the law on GCTAs has to be applied retroactively, or on all cases, even from before the enactment of the measure in 2013.
Faeldon said he wants the GCTAs reviewed in the next 60 days but recognized it as a massive task for the bureau because of the number of cases up for study.
The bureau has recently released around 200 inmates as a result of the review of GCTAs, according to BuCor spokesman Eusebio del Rosario, Jr.
Panelo: Consider 'everything'
In Malacañang, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo asked prison officials to consider “everything” before making a decision whether to set Sanchez free.
“I think what is important is, you strictly observe the impositions under the law,” said Panelo, who was one of Sanchez’s lawyers during the trial, at a news conference.
Amid public backlash over the possibility that Sanchez may be eligible for release, Panelo said the Palace has no option but to implement the law regarding the computation of GCTAs under Republic Act 10592.
“The Palace cannot oppose the law. The Palace can only implement a law, or the Office of the President. If we have any concern on the wisdom of the law, then it should be addressed to lawmakers,” he said.
“If he qualifies under that law, then we cannot do anything. The best remedy there – you amend the law. Or repeal it.“
'Not good behaviors'
Police filed a complaint against Sanchez in 2006, when he was already in prison for years, for allegedly possessing shabu and marijuana inside his jail cell. On Thursday, Faeldon said this case was dismissed by a court around 2011.
In July 2010, Sanchez was caught with P1.5 million worth of shabu hidden in a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary inside his cell. In 2015, authorities seized a flat-screen TV and an airconditioning unit from the convicted mayor.
Faeldon said the BuCor has a manual on what constitutes good conduct for inmates, which will be the agency’s basis for computing GCTAs.
The Uniform Manual on Time Allowances and Service of Sentence lists 48 violations of prison rules that would cost an inmate the grant of GCTA for a month. These range from littering, making frivolous complaints, and tardiness during headcount to assaulting prison personnel, gambling, committing violations of any law, and any behavior that might lead to disorder or violence.
On the other hand, an inmate is considered to have exhibited good conduct if he or she “seriously participated” in reformation and educational programs or joined religious activities, Faeldon said.
But while misdemeanors by inmates would cost them sentence deductions for a certain time, there is no single act that could permanently disqualify an inmate from earning GCTAs, the Corrections chief said.
"There is no disqualification. You will only be entitled [to GCTAs] or not entitled," he said.
Guevarra, the Justice chief, said: "The battle is not legal but factual. Is a PDL [person deprived of liberty] eligible for GCTA? If yes, how much time credit? If no, nothing to compute.” — with Virgil Lopez/MDM/KBK/BM, GMA News
