Senate: How many freed?

The Senate wanted to know, through a probe, the number of inmates who were released prior to the public outrage generated by the possibility of convicted rapist and murderer former Calauan City Mayor Antonio Sanchez being released through the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law or Republic Act 10592.

Minority Leader Sen. Franklin Drilon claimed the interpretation of the measure radically changed after the furor over Sanchez. He said he would ask Sen. Richard Gordon through his Blue Ribbon Committee to hold the inquiry.

“With the differing interpretation, Sanchez can seek relief from the Supreme Court. The initial interpretation was that Mayor Sanchez was qualified for GCTA. In the new meaning, he was excluded. So, you can’t stop Sanchez from going to the SC and complaining against abuse of discretion or an error in the implementation of the law. So, it will be the court which will determine if he is included or not,” Drilon explained.

It was Drilon who prosecuted Sanchez and his six bodyguards when he was Justice secretary for the rape-slay of University of the Philippines Los Baños student Eileen Sarmenta and the killing of Allan Gomez.

Another question raised by the senator was the number of convicts of heinous crimes who benefited from the initial definition by penal officials of the law.

“If we can recall, the number given was 11,000 who are eligible for release under the GCTA. How many were already released? Among those released, would the six bodyguards of Sanchez be included?” he added.

The legislator added that the Senate also wanted to know how the government will recover those who have been released before the Department of Justice (DoJ) ordered the suspension of the GCTA process.

So, the initial questions are: Has anybody been released? Who are they? What crimes were they accused of?

“I support the DoJ’s decision (to review the GCTA rules). I could not help but suspect that there are shenanigans happening inside the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) in favor of the rich and powerful inmates, including Sanchez,” the senator indicated.

“The temporary suspension may affect prisoners who are really entitled for an early release based on good conduct time allowance. But with the people, including myself, worrying about the release of prisoners like Sanchez, the pending review of the guidelines is a welcome development,” he added.

Drilon said if Sanchez’s violations were properly listed, the BuCor could not have said that the former mayor has already served 49 years.

“We must look into the records or what we called the prisoners’ karpeta, particularly that of Sanchez, and let’s find out if his violations were properly recorded,” he explained.

“How much does it cost for Sanchez’s karpeta, or that of any powerful and rich inmates, to be cleared of violations?” he asked.

Drilon noted even without the DoJ saying that inmates who committed heinous crimes are excluded from the coverage of the GCTA Law, Sanchez should not be released because of the misconduct he committed while in prison.

The senator also blamed “reckless pronouncements” made by some officials in the BuCor for the confusion surrounding the implementation of the GCTA law.

It was the BuCor which announced that Sanchez has allegedly served 49 years based on the GCTA and is set to be released together with around 11,000 inmates, whose prison term would be cut short due to good conduct time allowance.

The die has been cast as far as Sanchez, however, as he would not even get a review of his cases as President Rodrigo Duterte ordered officials to keep off him, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go disclosed yesterday.

Enraged about the possibility of an early release of Sanchez, Mr. Duterte directed Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra and BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon not to even consider releasing the convicted rapist and murderer.

At the celebration of National Heroes’ Day at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, Go said the Chief Executive gave the order last Wednesday night and the information was transmitted to Guevarra and Faeldon last Thursday.