Caloocan jail escapee surrenders

A mother’s fear for the life of his son moved one of five escapees to agree to surrender to authorities hours after bolting the District Police Intelligence Unit (DPIU) holding cell two days ago in Caloocan City.

Romeo Villaruz, previously detained on a petty case of alarm and scandal and slight physical injuries, voluntarily submitted himself to authorities who took him from his mother’s house in Sapang Palay, Bulacan last Tuesday afternoon.

Villaruz surrendered to an apprehending team composed of SPO4 Pancho Labrador, SPO4 Rodrigo Torio, SPO2 Henry Martin and PO3 Melito Pabor on the insistence of his mother, Lucrecia, who, he said, feared for his son’s life.

"Ninerbiyos po siya nang makita niya ako. Di na siya pumayag na magtagal pa ako roon," he said.

Villaruz’s mother called the Navotas police, which, in turn, coordinated with the Northern Police District (NPD) for his eventual surrender.

He went on to describe the details of their escape the other day.

Villaruz said at around 9 p.m. when no one was looking, fellow inmate Faustino Sampang, kicked the weakly spot-welded iron bars, which quickly fell off. The two detached bars were then glued back with epoxy smuggled in earlier.

Villaruz, Sampang ,Salvador Eugenio, Marvin Rubio and Agustin Genesis bolted out of their cell at around 1 a.m. at the height of a downpour.

Villaruz said he initially did not agree to break out because he had been charged with a lighter offense and did not want his situation to worsen. His cellmates were later able to convince him to break out.

"Pag di ka sumama, ikaw ang pag-iinitan ng mga pulis," Villaruz quoted his cellmates as telling him.

Except for himself, Sampang and the others, all relatively bigger than himself, spread margarine on their upper bodies so they can squeeze into the 7.5 inch by 1.3 feet gap in the iron bars. The padlocks were left untouched.

The jailbreak prompted NPD director Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, to immediately relieve DPIU chief Superintendent Maximino Valiente for command responsibility.

The escapees easily opened another iron door with no padlock at the back of the building and scaled a five-foot concrete fence and out to an alley on Langaray street at around 2:30 a.m.

Villaruz is now detained at a more secured area near the District Intelligence and Investigation Division (DIID) at the NPD headquarters on Tanigue street, Kaunlaran Village in Caloocan City. The four others remain at large.

Meanwhile, Metro police chief Director Reynaldo Varilla summoned all duty officers at the DPIU at the time of the jailbreak to shed light on the incident.