‘Sanchez better off in jail’

Even Antonio Sanchez's (left) uniform is different from what other inmates are wearing, a clear violation of Bureau of Corrections policies.

Sen. Bong Go will not waste one minute entertaining any request for case review or referral from the family of Antonio Sanchez, the former Calauan, Laguna mayor sentenced to seven life prison terms for the rape-slay of two University of the Philippines Los Baños students 26 years ago.

Go said that with voluminous letters sent to his office everyday, a letter from the Sanchez family would be the least of his priorities.

“I will refer him to San Pedro. He is better off in jail. He is safer there,” Go said.

Two of Antonio Sanchez’s children and his wife, Elvira (right), attend the Senate hearing on Tuesday. (Hana Bordey)

Sanchez’s wife, Elvira, in fact, wrote the Office of the President and the letter was received by the Public Concerns Office on 10 July 2018. It was then referred to the Office of the Deputy Secretary for Legal Affairs on 16 August 2018.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo also received a letter from the Sanchez family last February, regarding the convict’s application for executive pardon, and it was referred for review to the Board of Pardons and Parole.

Sanchez was supposedly due for release on 20 August as per the Good Conduct Time Allowance law but President Rodrigo Duterte was quick to spot the list and immediately ordered the Bureau of Corrections to exclude him.