VALENCIA CITY (MindaNews / 6 Sept) – The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) relieved its regional director and the city jail warden two days after 21 inmates bolted from prison.
Chief Insp. Reynaldo Acelo, head of personnel and human resource development at BJMP-10, said that Senior Supt. Marlon Cornelio Torregue and Senior Insp. Moises Genetiano were relieved because of a “standard operating procedure” at the bureau “after a jailbreak of such magnitude happens.”
Torregue signed Genetiano’s relief order effective today, while the BJMP national office ordered Torregue’s relief also effective today, according to Acelo.
Replacing Torregue as regional director is Senior Supt. Cesar Balderas. The latter heads BJMP’s national directorate for human resource development, according to the bureau’s website.
Genetiano will be replaced by Insp. Carmelo Corsame as the new warden of Valencia City Jail.
Corsame used to be the warden of the Tangub City Jail in Misamis Occidental, Acelo said.
As of 3 p.m. today, Supt. Roy Magsalay, Valencia City police chief, told MindaNews via text message that another inmate was recovered, bringing the total put behind bars again to 9 of the 21 who escaped.
Rodney Trinidad, 23, of Brgy. Mabuhay, Valencia City, surrendered to Valencia City Mayor Jose M. Galario and SP04 Celso Galamiton at 4:30 a.m. today, Magsalay said.
Trinidad, facing a case of theft, was turned over to Magsalay two hours later.
Acelo said the relief orders of Torregue and Genetiano were issued pending investigation of the jailbreak, which he said is still ongoing.
Acelo, expressing his initial assessment, said Thursday that the jail was ripe with security lapses.
He denied that the jail has insufficient guards but cited that they are also looking at the alleged failure of the other guards to “respond to the situation”.
Acelo, who has 26 years in service at BJMP, cited that the armory was not well-secured and the firearms were not issued to the security personnel.
The Valencia City Jail houses a total of 254 inmates.
Acelo noted that on that day, 25 of the inmates were attending a session on Alternative Learning System. DXDB-AM reported Friday that the jail has suspended the ALS sessions, along with other religious activities like holding of the mass.