Eileen Sarmenta's mom backtracks on death penalty, says she now prefers life sentence

Maria Clara Sarmenta, mother of slain UP Los Baños student Eileen Sarmenta, on Monday backtracked on her stand on the restoration of the death penalty in the country.

Facing senators during a Senate hearing, Mrs. Sarmenta said she now prefers life sentence, stressing that the convict should suffer for his crime instead of meeting the finality of death.

"Mas gusto ko pa na makita na nag-suffer siya. Hindi naman ako sadista but then parang mas ma[gaan] sa loob na yung kanyang hatol ay pang-habangbuhay," she said.

Mrs. Sarmenta was asked by Senator Francis Tolentino to confirm her earlier statement in media interviews that she is in favor of the revival of the death penalty, which is subject of several bills currently pending in Congress.

Mrs. Sarmenta said her preference for the revival of the death penalty was her "spur of the moment" answer.

"Opo, at the spur of the moment I said I agreed to restore the death penalty. But then when I thought it over, being a Christian, I would rather have the life sentence because in the death penalty, isang injection lang, tapos na," she told Tolentino.

"But in life sentence, the prisoner would be given the chance to be reformed."

Mrs. Sarmenta had expressed outrage over reports that the man convicted for raping and killing her daughter, former Calauan, Laguna mayor Antonio Sanchez, in 1993 would walk out of prison because of a law extending the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) given to prisoners.

The controversy over the GCTA has prompted the Senate blue ribbon and justice committees to conduct a joint investigation.

Sanchez, who has maintained his innocence despite his conviction in 1995, remains incarcerated at the New Bilibid Prison. He was sentenced to seven counts of reclusion perpetua. —KBK, GMA News