The son of the late Cebu vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. finally gained freedom after staying in a government drug rehabilitation center for almost two years.
At 4:30 p.m. yesterday, Leodegreco “Greco” Sanchez was discharged from the Department of Health’s New Horizon Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Argao town where he was confined for a year and 10 months.
Judge Macaundas Hadjirasul of the Regional Trial Court Branch 8 in Cebu City ordered Greco’s immediate release after the court dismissed a petition for his compulsory confinement and treatment.
Greco’s sister, Cebu Provincial Board Member Grecilda “Gigi” Sanchez earlier asked the court to let Greco undergo drug treatment and rehabilitation.
But the court noted that it should have been the Dangerous Drugs Board which filed the petition.
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The judge also ruled that compulsory drug confinement and rehabilitation could only last for a maximum of two years.
The judge said he cannot compel Greco to undergo the program for a longer period without his consent “whether or not he is rehabilitated.”
Greco’s lawyer Jonah John Ungab said he believes his client is already clear of shabu traces in the body.
“Everybody deserves a second or third chance,” Ungab said in an interview yesterday.
He said Greco intends to reunite with his children, and perhaps with his elder sister, Gigi, who has been taking care of the children.
“There’s a big hope for reconciliation,” Ungab said.
His lawyer declined to comment on talk that Greco would run for an elective post in Tuburan town, north Cebu, his father’s hometown.
“Well, he’s capable of handling a government post. But I really don’t know if he will,” said Ungab, who is currently vice mayor of Ronda town, south Cebu.
Greco was committed to the New Horizon Treatment and Rehabilitation Center on October 10, 2013 upon the request of his sister, Gigi, who complained that the family was being harrassed by his demands for money to keep up his drug habit, which saw Grego undergoing various programs since his teens.
On Feb. 13, 2015, Greco, through his counsel, filed a motion to be discharged from confinement, saying he wanted to start a new life.
Greco said he wanted to resume his functions as vice president of the family’s Lacto Bacillus Pafi Techno Resources Corp.
Under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, confinement in a center for treatment and drug rehabilitation shall not exceed one year.
The court will then determine whether further confinement is needed.
In the current case, the government center’s director did not recommend Greco’s release or declare him fully rehabilitated.
Greco was arrested on drug charges after he and a friend Edward Teves were caught allegedly using shabu in a house in barangay Mabolo, Cebu City in April 2013.
Greco was released after posting bail but failed to attend court hearings, prompting the judge to issue a bench warrant against him.
Greco was arrested for the second time in Nueva Ecija in November 2013.
In an earlier interview, his sister said Greco undergone rehabilitation 18 times in the past to treat his drug abuse which started when he was a teenager.
Greco claimed that his sister wanted him out of the way so that he can’t assume his post in their company.
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