Cotabato City escapee's girlfriend faces charges

COTABATO CITY, Philippines  – Police have filed criminal charges against a woman who allegedly helped 15 inmates escape from the city jail last Thursday night.

Senior Inspector Willie Dangane, city police chief, said the woman, whom he identified only as Donna, is the girlfriend of Samson Sabpa, one of the 15 prisoners who escaped in what was considered as the worst jailbreak here.       

“She is now under our custody,” Dangane said, without elaborating.

Investigators said guards at the city jail recovered from Donna a letter from Sabpa purportedly saying that he and his companions would escape.

Donna was the last visitor to get out of the city jail minutes before Sabpa and his companions escaped one after the other through the front gate of the detention facility, which is located along a busy street in the city’s main commercial district. The gate is the only way to get in and out of the jail.

All escapees were still at large as of press time.