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Salvador Panelo, president Dut-
erte's chief.legal counsel and
spokesperson, "referred" to the
Board of Pardons and parole the
application for
executive cle-
mency of forrg€r Calauan, Lagu-
na, M&yorAfitonio Sanchez, the
board's top official told the Sen-
ate on Tuesday.
Reynaldo Bayang, executive
director of the parole board,
disclosed Panelo's action at the
resumption on Tuesday of the
Senate inquiry into the aborted
release of Sanchez, who is serv-
ing seven 4o-year terms for the
rape and murder of University
of the Philippines Los Banos
student Eileen Sarmenta and
the murder of her friend Allan
Gomez in r993.
Public outrage and president
Duterte's opposition forced the
Department of Justice and the
Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) to
halt the processing of Sanchez,s
release for good behavior.
'Bad judgment'
Quiz:zed by Sen. Richard
Gordon, a hesitant Bayang told
the Senate inquiry that panelo
wrote him on Feb. z6 endorsing
a letter sent to the presidential
spokesperson on Feb. 8 by one
of Sanchez's children, Marie An-
tonelvie Sanchez, regarding her
father's application for execu-
tive clemency.
"What he did is an inappro-
priate conduct," Gordon told re-
porters after the hearing called
by the committee on justice and
official le
human rights, which,he chairs. a ranking
"I think he was guilry of bad "On t
judgment. But he did not say
that the I
that'I'm exerting my influence ment. Bu
upon you...' I fault him for bad in the le
judgment -... He just endorsed
dential lt
the letter," he said.
he is th
"[That's] impropriery ... He
man, tha
should've known better," Gordon
some we
added. "There's nothing illegal in
interviev
what he did ... But he's a former
Askec
lawyer [of Sanchez] and he's now
in a position of influence."
to bring
caiang, I
In Malacanang, Panelo, who usual. Th
serveil on SanChez's legal team
tion forrr
in the Sarmenta-Gomez case, de-
nied that he recommended the [Board]ol
release ofSanchez from prison. Salvador Panelo Reynaldo Bayang He
Speaking to reporters, pane-
lo maintained that he did not in-
Sen. I
!
Duterte's
tervene in the Sanchez family's rectification" as the tweet wai you may want to undertake un-
should et
bid for executive clemenry for "reeklng df irresponsibility" in der the premises," he said.
public.
the former mayor. news reporting.
"It say
Panelo was responding to an He stressed that his office
Sanchezes' request denied ferring to
Inquirer reporter's tweet on does not have the authority to In the Senate, Bayang told the
ed that ev
Tgesday ttpt had begn retweet- find merit in the Sanchezes' justice committee that despite
re- Demetr-iot
ed by Inquirer.net saying that. quest or'their petition for exec-
he "recommended executive utive clemency. Panelo's letter, he jeffisoned the the decis
requdst of Marie Antonelvie. Gomez ci
clemency" for Sanchez. "We do not have the authori-
In its Feb. z7 resolution, ihe that Panel
ty. Our job is to refer it to the parole bsard said it denied the ence to frt
Never recommended anything proper agencies for their evalua- clemency petition because of "I thin
"I never recommended any- tion and their action in accor- "the'gravity of the offenses he nation fr(
thing," Panelo said, explaining dance with the law," panelo said. had committed." alotofe
that his office refers requests In his isingle-page letter, pan- In a Twitter post after
from the public to the agencies the it's up to
elo asked Bayang to "update us hearing, Gordonsaid: "I commend people ...
concerned. folrecord purposes and for
the [parole board] for not letting proper," h
"[I]f they respond to us, we ac- whatever action this office may
the recommendation of Secretary Lacsor
knowledge the receipt of their re- want to undertake, consistent
Panelo sway your decision to re- thatwhile
sponse and thank them for taking with law and the policy of the ject Sanchez's application"
elo's offic
action on the matter. That is the
job of this office wi*r resfecfto all
President for good governance.'; Senate Minority Leader rng srmrla
"In line with the president's Franklin Drilon, a former justice forrner lat
letters received by it," Panelo said. commitment for good gover- seiretary, said that panelo's let- a differenl
He said Inquirer.net "unwit- nance, transparenry and imme-
ter seemed to be a "a plain en- Questir
tingly, erroneously and even ma-
liciously reported" his referral let-
diate action on matters that af- dorsement, but certainly his sig- the BUC
fect the welfare of the people, we nature [as chief presidential legal Sanchez's
ter as a "recommendation letter.', are referring this matter to your counsell carries a lot of weight." posed go
(Seerelated.story onthis page.) good office for your evaluation He also noted that panelo's asked the f
Panelo said he "demanded and whatever appropriate action correspondence contained- th€ they had sr
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