Malacañang said it has no choice but to follow the law if it allows the release of convicted rapist and murderer former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez who was supposed to serve seven terms of reclusion perpetua.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo made the statement after Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director-General Nicanor Faeldon confirmed that Sanchez may be a free man in two months, along with more or less 11,000 others.
In a phone interview, Panelo said if the law says that Sanchez can be released, then the government had no choice but to implement it.
“Well, kung (if) the law as it is crafted says that all the inmates who are qualified to be released, then that’s what the law says. And we have to, as we always repeatedly say, there’s a rule of law and we always have to abide by the rule of law,” he said.
“Kaya nga sila nire-release, ‘yung 11,000, eh. Kasi nga pumapasok sila doon sa sinasabi ng batas ‘pag may good behavior. Meron silang mga computation. Hindi na natin teritoryo ‘yun,” he added.
“Kailangan kung ano ‘yung batas sundin natin. ‘Di ba sabi nga ni Presidente, ‘Just the follow the law and everything will be in place,'” he continued.
Republic Act No. 10592 expanded the application of good conduct time allowance for prisoners even during preventive imprisonment and increased the number of days that may be credited for good conduct.
The Supreme Court also allowed in June this year the retroactive application of the law as it benefits detention and convicted prisoners.
Panelo said that those who find injustice should raise their concern to Congress.
“The law has been crafted by Congress so whatever concerns they have should be addressed to Congress,” he said.
DUTERTE APPROVAL NOT NEEDED
According to Panelo, Duterte does not need to approve the release of Sanchez and the more or less 11,000 other prisoners because of the law. He said the decision is up to the Board of Pardons and Parole.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra also said that Duterte does not need to approve the release.
Panelo, who was one of Sanchez’s counsel in 1993 rape-murder case of University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) student Eileen Sarmenta and the death of companion Allan Gomez, denied that he made the impending release possible.
“Mukhang masyadong malayo naman yun. Twenty-seven years ago pa akong abogado noon dati, nag-withdraw na ako. Even before the appeal nag-withdraw na ako,” he said.
Guevarra also allayed concerns that no intervention was necessary for Sanchez’s release to happen because of the retroactivity of good conduct time allowances.
Despite this, Panelo said he is happy for Sanchez for his impending release. However, he said he does not feel vindicated about the news.
Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) spokesperson Sonny del Rosario said Sanchez has already served 49 years based on the computation of his good conduct time allowance (GCTA) under Republic Act 10592. (Argyll Geducos, Jonathan Hicap)
