(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to “hold the processing” of the case of former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez “until all the factual and legal issues have been fully threshed out.”
Guevarra himself confirmed this after Senator Bong Go revealed in a television interview that Duterte had ordered Guevarra and Bureau of Corrections director Nicanor Faeldon to refrain from releasing the former mayor, who was convicted of the rape and murder of University of the Philippines-Los Baños student Aileen Sarmenta, and the murder of her friend Allan Gomez in the 1990s.
Go had said the President, a lawyer, believes Sanchez, who was convicted of heinous crimes, was not included in the coverage of Republic Act 10592, which increases the Good Conduct Time Allowance for inmates.
In June, the Supreme Court had said the law, which was enacted in 2013, should be applied retroactively, which means inmates who were given a final judgment prior to the law’s enactment could benefit from the measure.
Guevarra has said that while he shares the opinion on Sanchez’s ineligibility, any doubts about how the law should be interpreted could be removed with an amendment of the law in Congress, or through the SC.
Senate Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon and Senate President Tito Sotto have already filed resolutions to this effect.
The Palace has said the law excludes from coverage those convicted of heinous crimes, recidivists, escapees and habitual delinquents.
