A son of a professional electrical engineer from Baliuag, Bulacan and a fitness trainer from Abulog, Cagayan, Sanchez was born on 29 October 1980 in Sta.
He grew up in homes in San Juan City in Manila, where his parents started their family, and much later on, in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan.
A few months after graduating, he worked as editorial assistant for Gospel Komiks, published by the Communication Foundation for Asia.
While in the magazine, he helped run the Philippines Graphic-Nick Joaquin Literary Awards, one of the most prestigious prizes for Filipino fiction writers in English.
He is a member of the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), an organization of poets writing in the Filipino language.