Sanchez kin expected at Senate probe, may be quizzed on release ‘payoff’

MANILA, Philippines— Did the family of former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez pay for his release?

This question might be raised point-blank when Sanchez’s family appears before the Senate probe into the controversy involving the early release of heinous crime convicts, Senate  Minority  Leader Franklin Drilon said over DZMM on Tuesday.

The joint hearing led by the Senate Committee on justice is set to resume its hearing at 10 a.m.

“Ang pagkakaalam ko pinatwag ni Senator  Gordon yung pamilya Sanchez at itatanong ano ba talaga ang nangyari,”  Drilon said.

Gordon is chairman of the Senate’s Justice Committee.

“May pinangako ba na  ire-release si Tony Sanchez, at siguro diretesong tanong, kayo ba’y naglagay ng pera para mapalaya ang iyong ama?”

During  Monday’s hearing at the Senate, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon admitted that he had met with Sanchez ‘s family.

Faeldon, however, said that during the meeting that he did not assure the release of Sanchez.

“They cried. So I told them: If your father is going to be qualified for GCTA just like the rest of the PDL that’s going to be the case since he will be released, but that is really depending on whether or not he will be qualified for GCTA’,” Faeldon said.

“So, there was never an assurance,” he added.

Sanchez and six of his henchmen were convicted in 1993 for the rape and murder of University of the Philippines – Los Banos student Eileen Sarmenta and the killing of her schoolmate Allan Gomez.

PDL means persons deprived of liberty while  GCTA is good conduct time allowance which is used as basis to reduce an inmate’s prison term. /gsg

READ: Faeldon admits meeting Sanchez kin about release