Palace says Antonio Sanchez is not qualified for early release

Malacañang on Friday said convicts serving sentences for heinous crimes like former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez are not eligible for early release from prison.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo issued the statement after reviewing the law on expansion of inmates’ good conduct time allowance (GCTA). Panelo was once a lawyer for Sanchez, a convicted rapist and murderer.

“A review of Republic Act No. 10592 or the law on Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA), which amends the Revised Penal Code on the computation of the duration of imprisonment based on an offender’s good conduct, reveals that it is categorical in excluding recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees and persons charged with heinous crimes from the benefit of its coverage. This is the letter and the spirit of the law,” Panelo said.

“Thus, the inevitable conclusion is that all those convicted of a heinous crime, including Mr. Antonio Sanchez, would be ineligible and disqualified from availing the benefits of the GCTA.”

When pressed by reporters whether President Rodrigo Duterte will allow Sanchez to be released from jail on the account of good behavior, Panelo said, “Mr. Sanchez, under Republic Act 10592, is not eligible. So the President, as the chief enforcer of the law will have to follow the law.”

Panelo said the Palace supports the directive of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra for a strict recomputation of GCTAs in all cases involving heinous crimes. Guevarra has also said Sanchez might not be eligible under the law because he was convicted of a heinous crime.

Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon said the agency has yet to review Sanchez’s records but has initially found that he may not be released soon on account of “not good behaviors.” While detained at the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prison, the former mayor had been charged with possession of illegal drugs.

It was earlier reported that Sanchez, who was sentenced to lengthy jail terms in the 1993 rape and murder of Eileen Sarmenta and the murder of her friend, Allan Gomez, is one of the thousands of inmates eligible for time reductions to their sentence due to GCTA.

BuCor personnel are recomputing the GCTAs of some 11,000 inmates in line with a recent Supreme Court ruling that declared the law on GCTAs should be applied retroactively, or to all cases, even from before the enactment of the measure in 2013.

Panelo said public sentiment on the law and its recent interpretation by the high court was “understandable.”

“As we have said, our task is to merely execute what the laws ... as they stand. We reiterate, however, that while the Executive branch has no discretion in the implementation of the GCTA, the law still allows for the proper evaluation of inmates to ensure their proper coverage,” Panelo said.

“Otherwise stated, while the Executive branch is constrained to grant the benefit of the GCTA, it will only grant it to those who are entitled to such benefit.”

The Palace also welcomed the plan of lawmakers to review the law on GCTAs.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon have filed separate resolutions on this matter.

“We assure that responsible officials will attend the same and assist them as they endeavor to craft better penal laws that are not only fair but are also morally sound,” Panelo said. —VDS/KBK, GMA News