BARANGAY PINATILAN, Valencia City (MIndaNews/05 September)–Eight of the 21 inmates (not 22 as reported earlier) who bolted the city jail here Wednesday afternoon are back in prison as of 5 p.m. Thursday, Supt. Roy Magsalay, city police chief, told MindaNews Thursday.
Five surrendered—three to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and two to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)—and three were recaptured from different locations, he said.
Magsalay identified those recaptured as Reymart Belmes, in Purok 4A Barangay Catumbalon at 5 p.m. on Wednesday; Roel Llacuna in Purok 6 Poblacion,Valencia City at 8:45 a.m. Thursday; and Albert Espenosa in Purok 10, Barangay Poblacion, Valencia City at 7:45 a.m. also Thursday.
Espenosa, a resident of Purok 10 Barangay Poblacion in Valencia City, was reported as one of the two inmates who led the escape. He was identified in the BJMP spot report dated Sept. 5 as the one who hit Jail Officer 1 Jove Rasonabe, which sparked the escape at around 3:30 p.m on Wednesday.
Espenosa is facing an attempted murder charge.
Magsalay identified those who surrendered to the PNP as Jamal Sambarani on September 4, with the facilitation of barangay officials in Pinatilan; Rogelio Tayros in Purok 1A Extension at 10:15 a.m. on Sept. 5; and Carlos Lubos at 12:45 p.m. on Sept. 5 at an undisclosed placed.
The inmates who surrendered to the BJMP were Jorrem Barros of Verano Street in Barangay Poblacion, Valencia City and Ronald Ga of Purok 2, Barangay Poblacion, Valencia City. Both surrendered today.
Barros, who hid in a sugarcane field in Pinatilan near the jail, was surrendered by his mother Gengie Barros Ty for fear of his life.
“He won’t be safe and hiding isn’t a comfortable life either,” she said in the vernacular.
Ty told MindaNews his son arrived at around midnight with wet clothes, and claimed that he was forced to join the escape because a gun was pointed at him.
Ga surrendered to BJMP Bukidnon administrator Chief Supt. Guy Jason Reyes in Malaybalay City.
Reyes told MindaNews that authorities are not letting down their pursuit operations against the other escapees.
He appealed to the family and the general public to report the whereabouts of the fugitives to the police or to the BJMP.
According to the BJMP spot report, the other leader of the escapees was Dionisio Daulong, aside from Espenosa, who were among the 25 inmates attending Wednesday’s session on the Alternative Learning System of the Department of Education.
The two asked for permission to urinate and when allowed, that’s when they hit the deskman Rasonabe, with Daulong overpowering the jail guard, the report added.
Daulong, who is from San Roque in Maramag, Bukidnon, is charged with attempted murder.
A police report dated Sept. 5 said that the other inmates in the session then proceeded to the administration office where they hit jail officer Helen Pernites.
The inmates proceeded to the armory, where they took away six shotguns and five 9 mm pistols with ammunition, it added.
Magsalay said only a shotgun and a pistol were recovered so far as of Sept. 5.
Some of the escapees proceeded to the back portion of the jail and climbed the perimeter fence through the back tower. Others managed to open the other prison cells to free other inmates, the report said.
Major Reynaldo Acelo, BJMP-Region 10 human resource development officer, told MindaNews the jail houses a total of 254 inmates.
“The others choose to stay and ignored the escape plan of the other inmates,” he added.
According to the list issued by Jail Warden Moises Genetiano II as of Sept. 5, the following are still at large, Khalid Anggao, Teofisto Villamero Jr, Rodney Trinidad, Naeim Usop, Kairama Usop, Dionisio Daulong, Maxie Macarampat, Jeffrey Odagon, Ronnie Recibido, Abdul Nasser Roquero, Jenie Armecin, Marlon Canoy, and Papaw Sarip. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)