Raps filed vs warden, 8 jail guards

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) filed criminal charges against the jail warden of the Makati City jail and eight guards who were held liable by authorities for the escape of a suspected member of the notorious 14-K drug syndicate.

In their complaint, BJMP lawyers said Jail Warden Pepe Quinones and the guards on duty violated Article 223 of the Revised Penal Code, or infidelity in the custody of prisoners, when suspect Ding Chai Hui, alias Tony Lao, escaped from jail under their watch.

Ding, a Chinese national and suspected drug trafficker, was believed to have simply walked away from his cell at the city jail shortly after midnight Saturday.

The BJMP leadership had said it was possible the jail guards were bribed by Ding to allow him to escape since the Makati jail is "well-secured."

Assistant City Prosecutor Henry Salazar said the BJMP made an inquest referral, since Quinones and the guards are now under legal restraint.

But Salazar said he would also still have to determine if there is probable cause to charge the respondents.

Meanwhile, four teams of crack police operatives have been dispatched to hunt down seven inmates who bolted their detention cell at Central Police District (CPD) Station 9 in Quezon City last Saturday.

Metro police chief Director Ricardo de Leon said the policemen were dispatched to various areas of Metro Manila and nearby provinces where the escapees could have gone into hiding.

"We are banking on the possibility that the escapees would seek refuge with their relatives," De Leon said in an interview.

He said CPD director Chief Superintendent Napoleon Castro has sacked Superintendent Efren Manuel Sta. Ines, Station 9 commander, over the incident. He was replaced by Superintendent Benjie Narag.

Initial investigation showed that the inmates escaped by pulling off the iron grill of their detention cell. It was established that the nails on the grills were corroded, making it relatively easy for the inmates to just pull it out. There were 24 male detainees inside the cell, but only seven managed to escape.

The escapees had been detained for charges of theft, robbery and illegal possession of firearms.

The incident was discovered by SPO3 Samson Gonzales, the night-shift desk officer when he heard a loud thud from the male detention cell.

When he rushed to the cell to check, Gonzales saw one prisoner squeezing himself into the window. He fired a warning shot calling the attention of other duty officers. A chase ensued but the responding policemen failed to apprehend anyone of the seven men.

As of press time, one of the seven have been re-captured.

"I have received no reports of positive sightings as yet," said De Leon, as he gave assurance that his command will not rest until the seven men are all accounted for.

Stringent Measures

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) urged the Bureau of Jail and Management Penology (BJMP) yesterday to take more stringent security measures, following two jailbreaks over the weekend.

BuCor public information office chief Venacio Tesoro said there was an urgent need to establish national standards for prison management to prevent more inmates from escaping.

"The problem we have right now is that we do not have clout over the local jails, where the particular prerogative of wardens is being implemented," Tesoro said.

He noted that wardens of city and municipal jails can even allow inmates to leave the jail and visit relatives.

"Here at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP), we are very strict when it comes to movements of prisoners. The Department of Justice and courts involved must approve request of inmates who wish to leave jail for a particular event in a specific period of time," he said.

Tesoro, who is also the BuCor assistant director for prisons and security, said the absence of layering of control in jails has made security of prisoners lax. – With Non Alquitran, Edu Punay