Sanchez’s wife says she destroyed her mobile phone with text message on husband’s supposed release

Elvira Sanchez, the wife of former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez, went to the Bureau of Corrections to ask about her husband’s release  based on a text message from an unknown person,  but failed to show the text message during a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

Questioned by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Elvira said she and her family were prompted by the text message to rush the Bureau of Corrections last August 20—the date when her husband was supposed to be released in line with the law on Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA).

The Senate Blue Ribbon and Justice and Human Rights Committees are conducting a joint hearing on the GCTA, focusing on Sanchez who was convicted—together with six of his men—of raping UP Los Baños student Eileen Sarmenta before killing her in 1995. Sanchez and his men were also convicted of killing Sarmenta’s friend and companion, Allan Gomez.

However, Elvira said on Tuesday that they were able to talk to BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon only on August 21. “Ang sabi po niya, first in, first out. Ang sabi ko naman, bakit si Aznar, nakalabas na, eh 1997 ‘yun. Sabi po niya, hindi ko alam ‘yun.”

Josman Aznar is one of the seven convicted for the rape and murder of sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong in 1997.

“Ang sabi niya [Faeldon] sa akin, ‘pag talagang qualified ang asawa mo, makakalabas siya within two months. Eleven thousand kasi ang pinoproseso. Sabi ko ho, ang tagal naman, eh mayroon siyang katarata, hindi na siya nakakabasa, baka mabulag pa … Kung lalabas nga po siya, eh di maraming salamat, mapapagamot na namin siya,” Elvira said.

Drilon asked Elvira to show to the Senators the supposed text message from an unknown person informing her of her husband’s release.

“Wala na po akong cellphone. Kasi pagising ko po kaninang umaga, dami na pong nagtetext na death threats. Siyempre, I deemed it best na tanggalin ang SIM card. Binato ko na po ang cellphone kasi sobra po ang galit ko,” Elvira said.

The Supreme Court upheld a Pasig regional trial court’s conviction of Sanchez and six others over the killing of Sarmenta and Gomez.

Reports of Sanchez’s release last August 20 drew outrage from the public at large, and government officials were quick to point out that Sanchez was not qualified to benefit from GCTA since he was convicted of heinous crime. —VDS, GMA News