Immigration jailbreak

An Armenian has escaped detention from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) building in Intramuros over the weekend by jumping from the open window of the office belonging to the acting chief of the intelligence division.

Chachk Aslanyan, who was turned over to the Bureau of Immigration for custody by the National Bureau of Investigation last Saturday, took advantage of a commotion involving other foreign detainees protesting their planned transfer to Bicutan.

Security guards had to use tear gas to prevent a riot. Later, some of the detainees, including Aslanyan, were allowed to temporarily leave their cell until the effects of the gas subsided.

While outside of his cell, the Armenian used the confusion to his advantage by climbing the stairs to the office of Col. Lino Calingasan on the second floor and escaped using one of the open windows.

An angry Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo, who was out of the country attending a global conference on terrorism in Japan at the time of the incident, ordered an investigation. She immediately placed the detention guards under preventive suspension.

When asked to explain why the Armenian was able to escape through his office, Calingasan merely said he had no knowledge of the escape.

The foreign detainees are directly under his control and supervision, being the acting chief of the intelligence division of the bureau.

"I was not in the office at the time the incident took place, being a Saturday," Calingasan said. He could not even provide a background on the Armenian. – Rey Arquiza