Dela Rosa: Mayor convicted of rape, murder ‘deserves second chance’

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa at the weekly Kapihan sa Senado on July 4, 2019. (Photo by CATHY MIRANDA / INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — Former Mayor Antonio Sanchez of Calauan town in Laguna “deserves a second chance,” Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, a former chief of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), said on Wednesday.

Dela Rosa said this following reports that Sanchez, who was convicted for the rape and murder Eileen Sarmenta and the murder of Alan Gomez, both students of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, might be released soon for good conduct.

“[If] it is determined by the Board of Pardons and Parole that he deserves that commutation, then why not? He deserves a second chance in life,” Dela Rosa said in an interview over ANC.

Dela Rosa added that, when he BuCor chief, he did not receive any “adverse or derogatory” reports against the former mayor.

“According to corrections officers, nagbait na daw. In fact, nakikita nila na nagpapalda na nga daw. So changed man na talaga siya. Changed man. Bumait na. Hindi na siga,” the senator said.

Sanchez is one of the more that 10,000 inmates that may benefit from Republic Act No. 10592, which increased the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) given to inmates.

READ: Antonio Sanchez, more than 10k other inmates to get out of prison ‘soon’

“After three to five years of serving his sentence and he has no offense committed inside one incarceration and has shown good conduct… he’s given at least 20 days of GCTA per month so bali credited ito this is credited sa kanyang sentence,” Dela Rosa explained.

“If his sentence is 30 years, life imprisonment, because one life imprisonment is 30 years, ibabawas doon sa 30 yung kanyang allowance na nag-earn while behaving good inside the jail, inside the corrections, while serving his sentence. Kaya bumababa,” he added.

Dela Rosa said that the public would be allowed to check and scrutinize inmates’ individual records, which also includes the offenses they incurred while serving their sentence.

“Makikita naman yan. Yung individual record of an inmate. Makikita mo yan doon kung mayroon siya na-commit na offence during his stay, during his service of his sentence. Makikita yan doon,” he said. “Kung wala naman, makikita rin na malinis yung kanyang record and yung computation is open to the public. Pwede nilang i-question yung computation kung ito ay hindi accordance with the law, makikita nila doon yang computation na yan.”

His bodyguards reportedly gave Sarmenta as a gift to Sanchez, with witnesses claiming that he and his guards gang-raped her.

The guards, meanwhile, beat up Gomez before shooting him to death.

/atm