Criminal raps filed versus man who helped Masbate escapees

CEBU, Philippines - A criminal complaint for obstruction of justice was filed yesterday before the Municipal Trial Court in Bantayan against the person who allegedly helped the three escapees from Palanas, Masbate to get to Madridejos where they were captured Tuesday evening.

Madridejos police chief Jaime Santillan said that Arge Lectiones is liable for helping the three escapees after bolting out from the Palanas District Jail last July 5.

Lectiones allegedly provided Romel Padailap, Jessie Cabier and Romeo Olasla a paddle boat which they used to cross the sea from Masbate to Madridejos.

Padailap, Cabier and Olasla who are facing criminal charges for rape, murder and frustrated murder, respectively, were arrested in Madridejos after they asked assistance from a barangay captain to look for the house of a relative.

The barangay captain was suspicious of them prompting the official to call the police. Santillan said the escapees will be turned over today to Captain Milton Placencia, provincial administrator of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Masbate.

Placencia, in an interview with The FREEMAN, said they will be filing charges for double murder and frustrated murder against the three escapees.

According to Placencia, the escapees killed two jail guards and injured an inmate when they bolted out from jail. The fatalities were identified as Senior Jail Officer 1 Rene Danao and inmate Romulo Pason. Another jail guard Julius Cervantes was severely injured.

Cervantes allegedly escorted Padailap while delivering food ration to the other inmates when he was attacked by the latter and the other escapees. Cervantes was hit by a hard object in the head.

Padailap and his two other companions then killed Danao and Pason before breaking out. Another inmate Felipe Largo also escaped and remained at large.  (FREEMAN)