Antonio Sanchez transferred to JRRMMC for further tests

Convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez has been transferred to the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC) for further tests, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) revealed Sunday.

According to the BuCor, the former mayor of Calauan, Laguna was transferred to the JRMMC for referral to a nephrologist and a sputum exam on the evening of Friday, September 4.

"The transfer was made through coordination done by One Hospital Command Center of the DOH," the BuCor public information office said in a post on social media.

According to the BuCor, Sanchez has "multiple electrolyte imbalance, CKD stage IV, pulmonary Tuberculosis-bilateral, S/P CVA with no residuals."

"Patient is presently confined at the said hospital and NBP medical staff is in constant monitoring of his status," it said.

Just last week, the BuCor said Sanchez was admitted to the national penitentiary's hospital after experiencing flu-like symptoms. He tested negative for COVID-19.

Sanchez earlier requested transfer to the Philippine General Hospital but the Department of Justice said last week that the elderly inmate will no longer be transferred because his condition has improved.

The BuCor said Monday that doctors deliberated again last Friday and agreed that Sanchez needed further tests, hence the transfer to JRRMMC.

To recall, Sanchez was convicted of the 1993 rape and murder of college student Eileen Sarmenta and the murder of her friend Allan Gomez.

Last year, he was reported as having been due for early release from prison on account of a good conduct-based deductions to his sentence. Met with public and official criticism, his case triggered authorities to revise the rules for granting prison time allowances.

The investigation of the issue also spilled over to other allegations of anomalies in the corrections bureau.

As of July, the BuCor had recorded more than 300 COVID-19 cases, including 18 deaths, in two of its seven facilities nationwide.

As of Sunday, September 6, 2020, the Philippines has recorded a total of 237,365 confirmed cases of COVID-19. This includes 184,687 recoveries, and 3,875 deaths. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM/AOL, GMA News