Benguet cops rescue mentally ill man 'jailed" by his family

Kapangan, Benguet, Philippines  – For 12 long years, mentally challenged 47-year-old Alones Paclit was kept by his own family at a makeshift cell in their village in Kapangan town. But this week, Benguet policemen freed him from his cell in Gaddang, Kapangan against his family’s will who insisted they locked him up because he becomes violent and harms villagers. 

Benguet police officer-in-charge Senior Superintendent Benjamin Lusad, however, said that two brothers of the 47-year-old gave the thumbs up for policemen to bring him out of his cell after a group of nursing students discovered the inhumane condition of Paclit prompting them to report it to their clinical instructor, who later sought for help from a relative who is working as a crew of a television network.

Authorities then headed to Kapangan and found Paclit at a makeshift prison cell situated at the slope of a mountain about 1.5 kilometers of rugged uphill about 200 meters from the house of his brother.

After the rescue operation, Paclit was airlifted to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center psychiatric unit on Sept. 29.

Family members said they first observed him to be showing abnormal behavior in 1985.

The victim was brought to BGHMC for treatment for several occasions but his family complained that when he showed some signs of recovery, he starts drinking and smoking marijuana.