Sunday, April 24, 2005
Guv to lobby for improved jail
By Neil C. Rio and Hermie Tresquio
GOVERNOR George Arnaiz will fly to Manila this week to ask the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to improve the condition of the Dumaguete City jail in Barangay Bajumpandan following the escape of nine inmates late Sunday afternoon.
Arnaiz bared this even as only two of the nine escapees have remained uncaptured with the arrest near noon Tuesday of two more in Sitio Hayugan, Barangay Malaunay, Valencia municipality.
The governor said he would lobby the DILG central office to widen the city jail and to provide better food to the inmates.
Minutes after the 4:30 Sunday afternoon mass jailbreak, Arnaiz along with Dumaguete City Mayor Agustin Perdices and Vice Mayor William Ablong had proceeded to the city jail and observed its three crowded cells.
The Dumaguete City jail has a capacity for only 96 inmates, but it is currently holding 274 people.
Meanwhile, of the nine escapees, only Danilo Dumdum and Dante Nuevo have remained unaccounted for following massive manhunt operation launched by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and soldiers of the 61st Infantry Battalion.
The recaptured escapees were Roberto Baticulon, who was arrested in Barangay Calindagan five hours after the jailbreak; Roderick Linehan, Jhonny Lingcong, Arnel Arbances, and Jesus Montecrejo who were arrested 7:30 in the morning of Monday in Sitio Cangbangkas, Barangay Sagbang in Valencia; and Lyndon Dungkoy and Roger Turon who were recaptured nine o'clock Tuesday morning in Sitio Hayugan, Barangay Malaunay in Valencia.
Authorities have recovered from the recaptured escapees one M-16 rifle, one carbine rifle, and a shotgun that were left at the back of Junob National High School in Barangay Talay and an M16 rifle and a caliber .38 pistol with magazine.
Based on jail records Baticulon, of Calindagan, is facing a charge for illegal drugs; Turon, of Okiot in Bais City, robbery; Nuevo (still at-large), of Barangay Piapi, Dumaguete City for illegal drugs; Dumdum (at-large), of Barangay 8, Dumaguete City, for robbery with homicide, illegal possession of firearms, and intimidation;
Lingcong, of Barangay Talay, for illegal possession of firearms; Linehan, Barangay 8, Dumaguete City, illegal drugs; Montenegrejo, Canday-ong, Calindagan, for robbery; Dongcoy, of Barangay Batinguel, Dumaguete City, for illegal drugs, and Albances, Bag-ong Taytayan, for illegal possession of firearms.
Dungcoy and Turon were captured near noon Tuesday after a brief firefight with 61st IB soldiers, members of the 705th Provincial Police Mobile Group, and police in Sitio Hayugan, Barangay Malaunay in Valencia.
Dungcoy was wounded in the brief firefight and was rushed for treatment at Negros Orientl Provincial Hospital while Turon was returned to his cell at the city jail.
The escape drama happened 4:30 Sunday afternoon when the inmates hostaged a visitor and a brief struggle that resulted to the wounding of a female jail guard and a female civilian visitor.
(April 21, 2005 issue)
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