Faeldon on Antonio Sanchez: 'Let us not assume na lalabas na siya'

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon on Thursday said it is not yet final that convicted rapist Antonio Sanchez will be set free.

"Let us not assume na lalabas na siya," Faeldon said in an interview on Unang Hirit, adding the BuCor has yet to "compute" Sanchez's good conduct time allowances.

Sanchez, a former Calauan, Laguna mayor convicted for the 1993 rape and murder of college student Eileen Sarmenta, is one of thousands of inmates eligible for the recomputation of good conduct time allowances on the basis of Republic Act No. 10592, according to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.

Guevarra also said Sanchez benefits from the Supreme Court ruling that made the effectivity of the law retroactive.

The Pasig Regional Trial Court convicted Sanchez of rape and murder for Sarmenta's death and of murder for the killing of Sarmenta's friend, Allan Gomez, in 1995.

Both were students of the University of the Philippines - Los Baños.

Sanchez was sentenced to seven terms of reclusion perpetua. The Supreme Court in 1999 upheld the Pasig court ruling.

Reclusion perpetua is imprisonment for 30 to 40 years.

News of Sanchez being eligible to walk out of jail have sparked outrage especially from the family of the victims.

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption has vowed to assist the family of the victims in blocking the possible release of Sanchez. —KBK, GMA News