MANILA - Convicted rapist and murderer ex-Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez has passed away Saturday, Bureau of Corrections spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag said.

Accoding to Chaclag, Sanchez was found unresponsive in his cell at the New Bilibid Prison at around 7 in the morning.

His cellmates rushed him to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Chaclag said Sanchez had pre-existing conditions such as chronic kidney disease, hypertension, gastroenteritis, prostate problems, and asthma.

Sanchez and his henchmen were convicted in the 1993 rape-slay of University of the Philippines Los Baños student Eileen Sarmenta and the torture-killing of her companion Allan Gomez.

Outrage sparked when there were reports Sanchez would be possibly released from prison due to a law that expanded good conduct credits.

The move to free him spawned a Senate inquiry and led to the axing of former BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon.

In 2020, he was also rushed to the hospital for exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as the number of people infected with the disease rose inside the facility.

• Rape-slay convict Sanchez 'a probable COVID-19 patient': BuCor

-- Reports from Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News

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