The convicted co-accused of former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez still remain imprisoned, the Department of Justice assured yesterday.
DoJ spokesman Undersecretary Markk Perete made the assurance amid fears that Sanchez could be released early due to his accumulated Good Conduct Time Allowance pursuant to Republic Act No. 10592.
Citing reports from the Bureau of Corrections, Perete disclosed that the convicted co-accused of Sanchez remain in prison.
“Ang last na alam namin is they are still inside. That is the last info that we got,” he said .
Sanchez was convicted by a Pasig City court in 1995 of seven counts of rape with homicide for the deaths of University of the Philippines Los Banos students Eileen Sarmenta and her boyfriend Allan Gomez in 1993.
Those convicted with Sanchez for the crime were Calauan police deputy chief George Medialdea, Luis Corcolon, Rogelio “Boy” Corcolon, Zoilo Ama, Baldwin Brio, and Pepito Kawit.
Another Pasig court convicted Sanchez in 1996 for two counts of murder for the 1991 killing of Nelson Penalosa and his son Rickson, the supporters of the political rival of Sanchez.
Convicted with Sanchez in this case were Luis Corcolon, Artemio Averion, and Landrtio Peradillas.
RA 10592, which was passed in 2013, amended provisions of the Revised Penal Code and increased the number of GCTA inmates could get.
Meanwhile, Sanchez may never walk out of prison ever should RA 10592 be amended.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said yesterday he plans to file a bill that would exclude individuals who are sentenced for committing heinous crimes from those eligible for the computation of the GCTA.
“We intend to go back to work tomorrow armed with possible amendments to that good conduct law by making it specific that convicts of heinous crimes, especially those such as murder, drug trafficking, kidnap-for-ransom, and other highly dangerous criminals, cannot avail of the program, period,” Zubiri said.
“These individuals are too dangerous to release back to the streets and imagine the families and individuals who testified against them will be in extreme danger,” he warned. (Jeffrey Damicog with a report from Vanne Terrazola)
