Faeldon admits meeting with Sanchez family

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon on Monday admitted to meeting with the family of convicted murderer and rapist Antonio Sanchez in July, a month before the supposed release order for the former Calauan, Laguna mayor was signed.

"Evening of July 29, I was already resting in my quarters when I was informed by one of my staff that families of PDL Sanchez want to talk to me," he said during a Senate hearing.

Sanchez was one of the persons deprived of liberty (PDL) earlier reported to benefit from the Supreme Court decision that fave a retroactive application to Republic Act 10592, which entitles select inmates reduced prison terms in exchange for good conduct.

The former mayor was convicted for the 1993 rape and murder of University of the Philippines -Los Baños student Eileen Sarmenta and the murder of her friend, Allan Gomez.

In 1995, he was sentenced to seven counts of reclusion perpetua (imprisonment for 30 to 40 years), and in 1999, the SC upheld the Pasig Court's ruling.

Meeting

According to Faeldon, he then requested that the family return the following day instead, and have the meeting at his office during working hours.

"Bumalik 'yung aking staff sa akin at sabi na 'Hindi raw sila aalis 'pag hindi mo sila hinarap,' so I was shocked... Hindi talaga ako lumabas," he said.

"The following day... Maaga sila sa opisina and they cried there," added Faeldon.

Faeldon, however, denied claims that he gave the Sanchez family reassurance that the former mayor would be released under the good conduct time allowance (GCTA).

"I told them that 'If your father is going to be qualified for GCTA, just like the rest of the PDL, that's going to be the case is he will be released, but that is really depending on whether or not he will be qualified for GCTA," he said.

Documents obtained by GMA News showed that Faeldon signed the release order of Sanchez dated August 20, 2019. — RSJ, GMA News