Former Calauan mayor Antonio Sanchez smiles as he walks with other inmates and a guard inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa. PHOTO BY BY DJ DIOSINA PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will not allow the early release of rape-slay convict Antonio Sanchez, as he is not eligible from the law that credits good conduct time allowance (GCTA) for prisoners, Malacañang said on Friday.Speaking to reporters, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo stressed that convicts of heinous crimes like Sanchez were not entitled to benefit from such law.'Mr. Sanchez under Republic Act 10592 is not eligible so the President, as chief enforcer of the law, will have to follow the law,' Panelo said during a media interview.'Magagalit siya (He will really get angry) because if the law says he’s disqualified eh bakit mo mako-consider (then why should he be considered)?' he added.Panelo, in a statement, said that RA 10592 'is categorical in excluding recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees and persons charged with heinous crimes from the benefit of its coverage.''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,' he added.The former mayor of Calauan, Laguna province, and six of his aides were each sentenced to serve seven 40-year prison terms for the rape-murder of Eileen Sarmenta and for the murder of Allan Gomez, both University of the Philippines Los Baños students in 1993.Under the Penal Code, no person should be imprisoned for more than 40 years even if convicted in multiple cases.Duterte’s former aide and now Sen. Christopher Lawrence 'Bong' Go said that the President was 'outraged' when he learned that Sanchez could be released from prison.'I can’t speak in behalf of the President, pero kami nung nag-usap kami ng Pangulo talagang nagalit din siya (but when we talked, the President got angry),' Go said when aksed about the reaction of the President, a former prosecutor.'Sinabi niya di rin siya sang-ayon at may mga sinite din siya na batas na minimum, in short ayaw din nya, galit po sya (He said he does not agree and cited a law, in short he doesn't like it, he's upset),' he added.Panelo, who once served as Sanchez’s lawyer, expressed the Palace’s support to the Bureau of Corrections’ (BuCor) move to 'carefully and cautiously review the GCTA of persons who have been found guilty by the courts of having committed high profile, heinous crimes or crimes so grave that show extreme moral depravity.'While stressing that the executive branch has 'no discretion' in the implementation of the GCTA, Panelo noted that the law 'still allows for the proper evaluation of inmates to ensure their proper coverage.''The mandate of the Executive Branch of the Government is to ensure the faithful execution of all laws. The Executive Branch cannot oppose any of them nor can it arbitrarily choose a provision of law which it will execute or not,' 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,' he added.The Palace official also welcomed lawmakers’ call to conduct hearings on Sanchez’s eligibility to the GCTA.'The sentiments of the people are understandable vis-à-vis the law passed by Congress during the previous administration and its recent interpretation by the Supreme Court,' Panelo said.'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,' he added.BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon had 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 behavior.'While detained at the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), the former mayor had been charged with possession of illegal drugs.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. CATHERINE S. VALENTE
