MANILA, March 14 -- A Philippine regional trial court sentenced Tuesday a controversial mayor and six others to seven terms of life imprisonment each for the rape and murder of a 21-year-old female student and the killing of her 19-year-old friend in 1993. Judge Harriet Demetriou of the Pasig regional trial court found Mayor Antonio Sanchez of Calauan in Laguna province, 15 miles (24 km) south of Manila, and his six companions guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the rape and murder of Mary Eileen Sarmenta and the killing of Allan Gomez. Also sentenced were Sanchez' nephew, Baldwin Brion, his bodyguards, brothers Rogelio and Luis Corcolon, and former policemen Zoilo Ama and George Medialdea and gardener Pepito Kawit. Demetriou also ordered the seven to pay over 11 million pesos ($440, 000) in actual, moral and other damages to the victims' families. President Fidel Ramos, who is in London on an official working visit, sent word that he was satisfied with Demetirou's decision. 'The (conviction) shows that the justice system in the Philippines works and works without fear or favor,' Ramos said. 'I believe that right has been done.' Sanchez -- who during the trial attempted to paint a picture of himself as a god-fearing and extremely pious man despite his many mistresses and unexplained amassed wealth -- was not able to hide his disappointment over the judge's decision. Outraged with the guilty verdict, Sanchez repeatedly shouted invectives and signaled his contempt with his middle finger pointed toward the crowd that cheered upon hearing the judge's decision.
The mayor's family members and followers wailed and cried hysterically as the convicts were being whisked away by policemen to the vehicles that would take them to the federal penitentiary. The convicts repeatedly maintained their innocence, shouting 'we didn't do anything wrong.' But the crowd that filled the court room and spilled over to the rest of the building was jubilant. 'Justice has been served,' was the common reaction of the people that waited and clamored for the guilty verdict. Victims of other heinous crimes rallied behind the Sarmenta and Gomez families for the past 16 months and most of them were teary-eyed upon finally hearing the guilty verdict. 'We hope we will also get the justice we deserve,' they said. In her 132-page decision which was read by a clerk of court for more than four hours before a crowded courtroom and carried on live television, Demetriou said the prosecutors proved beyond reasonable doubt the guilt of the accused. Demetriou dismissed the alibis presented by the accused during the 16-month trial that preceded the issuance of the ruling and consequent sentencing. 'The evidence show that all the accused cooperated with each other to satisfy their lust,' the judge said. Demetriou said the death penalty could not be imposed on the mayor and his companions because the crime in question was committed before the reimposition of the death penalty in January 1994. Sarmenta and Gomez were abducted at gunpoint inside the campus of the state-run University of the Philippines in Los Banos on June 28, 1993. The bodies of the victims were found separately found the next day in the outskirts of Calauan. The prosecution, who presented 13 witnesses including an accomplice who turned state witness, said the victims were brought to a vacation house owned by Sanchez. The prosecution said Sarmenta, the rape victim, was given as a 'gift' by the six accused to Sanchez. The six later took turns in raping Sarmenta and then killed her and Gomez. During his arraignment Sanchez pleaded not guilty and alleged that he was being framed by his political opponents. Sanchez has announced plans of running as governor of Laguna in the coming May 8 local and congressional polls and his conviction does not prevent him from doing so, his lawyer said. Sanchez was suspended as mayor when he was arrested in 1993. The trial lasted for 16 months and was considered one of the most sensational cases in Philippine history because of the heinousness of the crime involved.
