Murders of Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez


The murders of Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez occurred on June 28, 1993 in Calauan, Laguna, Philippines. The case involved police personnel and Antonio Sanchez, the former mayor of Calauan, who were tried and convicted of the crime. Sanchez was accused of masterminding the abduction of Sarmenta and her companion, Gomez, and the subsequent rape and murder of Sarmenta and the torture and murder of Gomez. The victims were both students of the University of the Philippines, Los Baños.

Murder

On the night of June 28, 1993, Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez, both students of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, were abducted by men of Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez and forcibly entered them into the white vehicle.
The two were brought to Erais Farm in Barangay Curba, which is said to be owned by the Mayor. Upon arriving there, Sarmenta was taken to Sanchez's room while Allan was left to be beaten by Mayor's staff namely Luis Corcolon, Rogelio "Boy" Corcolon, Zoilo Ama and George Medialdea. After that, Sanchez's orders the two men to bring Sarmenta and Gomez to the Toyota Tamaraw FX; the suspects are also board the vehicle.
Pepito Kawit followed-up by striking Allan's diaphragm with the butt of an armalite, causing Allan to fall against a cement box. Brion thought Allan was already dead, but Kawit said, quote, "His death will come later."
Aurelio Centeno, who eventually became a star witness, joined Sanchez's personal aides Edwin Cosico and Raul Alorico to watch television at the adjacent resthouse. Alorico told Centeno that the Mayor had been eagerly waiting for the group and worried that they will not arrive.
At around 1:00 a.m. of the next day, a crying Eileen was dragged out of the resthouse by Luis and Medialdea her hair disheveled, mouth covered by a handkerchief, hands still tied and stripped of her shorts. The Mayor, clad merely in white polo, appeared and thanked Luis and Medialdea for the gift. "I am through with her. She's all yours," the Mayor uttered in contentment. When asked what will happen to Allan, Medialdea assured the Mayor that they will also kill him for full measure. Eileen and Allan were then loaded in the Tamaraw van by the appellants and headed for Calauan, followed closely by the ambulance. Kawit finished off Allan with a single gunshot from his armalite.
The men then stopped at a sugarcane field in Sitio Paputok, Kilometro 74 of Barangay Mabacan, and gang-raped Eileen. Kawit invited Centeno to join the sexual fiasco but Centeno refused as he cannot, in conscience, bear the bestiality being committed on Eileen.
At the end of the gang-rape, the six men decided to shoot Eileen in the face in order to hide their crime. When Eileen pleaded to the six men to spare her life, Eileen said to the six men, quote, "Please, you have taken everything from me. My shame, my honor. But please, spare me my breath. It’s the only thing I’ve got left."
Despite Eileen's pleas to spare her life, Luis Corcolon gagged Eileen's mouth with a handkerchief and fired his baby armalite at her face, causing her instant death, and ordered Centeno to get rid of Eileen's body. However, the dead body of Eileen has just remains inside the van. Her face bears the fatal gunshot wound, her mouth stuffed with a handkerchief, her melon orange Giordano Classic t-shirt rolled up to her shoulders exposing her breasts and her underwear pushed down near her white Tretorn rubber-shoed feet.
Following separate investigations by different law enforcement agencies, prosecutors pursued charges against Sanchez and his men, but did not include Teofilo "Kit" Alqueza, son of Gen. Dictador Alqueza, as respondents. Sanchez had claimed Alqueza was the mastermind.

Investigation

On June 29, 1993, after Eileen's mother, Ma. Clara Sarmenta, received a phone call from someone else, they arrive at the site where they found a lifeless body of Eileen inside a white van. In an examination conducted by PNP Crime Laboratory Office, it was found out that Sarmenta had been raped before being killed. Meanwhile, the body of Allan Gomez was found in the grassy area in another village in Calauan, Laguna; Gomez sustained two gunshot wounds in his body.
The two men are later surrendered at the police headquarters where they identified themselves as the personnel of Sanchez. They also explicitly pointed the finger to Sanchez as the mastermind of murder and killing of the two victims.
The case considered the most challenging for the investigators, due to the witnesses incriminate Sanchez and his men for the case. A vehicle, Toyota Tamaraw FX, used in the kidnapping of Sarmenta and Gomez was surrendered to the police. It was not before that, after they committed the crime, the vehicle was cleaned in front of the Calauan municipal hall. The authorities found the empty bullet shell of the M16 rifle near the body of Gomez.

Convictions

On March 14, 1995, Pasig Judge Harriet Demetriou concluded the 16-month Sarmenta-Gomez murder trial with the finding that Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez and several henchmen were guilty of raping and murdering Sarmenta and killing Sarmenta's friend. Demetriou, in her 132-page decision, described the crime as being borne out of a "plot seemingly hatched in hell."]
Sanchez is currently serving terms of reclusion perpetua for the crime. On January 25, 1999, the Philippine Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Regional Trial Court. On August 29, 1999, Sanchez was given a double life term by the Supreme Court for a different case. Together with his seven life terms for the Sarmenta-Gomez murder, Sanchez will have to spend a total of 360 years in jail.]

Release order controversy

A report by GMA News showed that Sanchez could have walked free in August 2019, according to a document bearing the signature of then-Bureau of Corrections director Nicanor Faeldon.
The document said the release order was for one Antonio Leyza Sanchez, "who was found to have served 40 years upon retroactive application of RA No. 10592 and was certified to have no other legal cause to be further detained, shall be released from confinement." RA 10592 is the law allowing convicts an early release based on good conduct time allowance.
Sanchez's kin had said that they were informed about Sanchez's impending release, but public outrage prompted the government to review the GCTA law.
On September 4, 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte has fired Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon after the latter approved the release of Sanchez.

Adaptation in popular culture

Mayor Sanchez's involvement in the Sarmenta-Gomez murder case was the inspiration for the 1994 film '. The film, produced by Regal Films and Golden Lions Productions, is based on Mayor Sanchez's account, with his name in the film changed to Mayor Miguel Beltran was portrayed by Dick Israel, and criminal activities. Sunshine Cruz portraying Sarmenta and Jeffrey Santos portraying Gomez.
The case was first featured on Philippine crime docudrama program ' in 2006, and in 2019, dubbed as the "Sarmenta-Gomez Rape-Slay Case."
The case was also featured on a Philippine crime documentary program Crime Klasik as its first episode, "Ex-Mayor Antonio Sanchez Case."
The case was also featured on a Philippine investigative docudrama program Imbestigador as its 34th episode, "Gomez-Sarmenta Rape-Slay and Murder Case.", Mayor Antonio Sanchez was portrayed by Jim Pebanco. Sanya Lopez portraying Sarmenta and Juancho Trivino portraying Gomez.

Timeline of the murder case