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Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Inmates wreck havoc in Cebu City jail riot
By Mia E. Abellana
CEBU -- After visiting rights were suspended at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC) Tuesday, some 200 angry inmates created a noise barrage, threw Molotov bombs and wrecked the jail's canteen.
Jail officials decided to deny the inmates visiting privileges until they surrendered firearms, a hand grenade and five cellular phones allegedly hidden inside.
As that developed, BBRC Deputy Warden Chief Insp. Gledo Baroro, Insp. Evelino Escaņo and JO1 Angelito Savior were relieved effective Wednesday as the investigation on the escape of five inmates is going on.
Joel "Tongol" Nodalo and Washington Calimbo already surrendered to authorities Monday night.
Nodalo surrendered at 7 p.m. to Carbon Police Station Chief Manuel Gurtiza while Calimbo turned himself in to former Regional Anti-Narcotics Office 7 chief, Supt. Vicente Loot, at 10 p.m.
Robbery suspects Reil Bautista, Mitchell Bernabe and Felix Al-os are still at large, after escaping last Sunday night.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeņa earlier said he wants all officials of BBRC and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) relieved because of the escape.
At 8 a.m. Tuesday, BBRC Warden Supt. Primitivo Benitez met with the mayors of each brigada and told them they had until 10 a.m. to surrender a .45 pistol allegedly belonging to Nodalo's brother Isidro Jr., a .22 Derringer and a .38 paltik revolver.
Aside from these, Benitez demanded that they also hand over a grenade and five cellular phones hidden inside.
The escapees last Sunday engaged jail officers in a shootout and lobbed a grenade so they could flee. The grenade didn't explode, though.
By 11 a.m. Tuesday, the inmates merely surrendered 15 improvised weapons, similar to those usually confiscated during inspections, like sharpened utensils.
Benitez said the visitation will not continue because these were not the items they specified.
Intern used
BJMP 7 Director Reynaldo Berdin said that aside from Calimbo's revelations, they also had intelligence reports that these contraband items were inside.
They even have the identities of their owners. However, Berdin said they opted to solve the problem by denying them visiting rights because it was too difficult to hold inspections, the jail being undermanned.
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 Chief Edwin Diocos told reporters that an informant claimed the firearms used in the escape of the five inmates were delivered about two weeks ago.
A jail guard allegedly sent a police intern to hand over a package to Bautista.
Both Nodalo and Calimbo claimed it was Bautista who masterminded the escape and that they were merely forced to tag along. Nodalo claimed Al-os pushed him, prompting Baroro to fire at him.
The informant did not say if the intern was aware the package contained firearms.
Benitez confirmed receiving the same report, saying they have even identified the guard and intern. However, the information has yet to be verified.
He said the same guard is still reporting for duty at the BBRC but is under close watch.
Punished?
The inmates began banging on the grills of Gate 3 at about 1 p.m. and were shouting when jail officials still did not let their families and friends inside.
They claimed that they were being punished for the escape of the five inmates.
Their families also complained, saying they spent good money to travel to the BBRC and buy their relatives goods just to see them.
About 2 p.m., JO1 Lucino Capol, who was roving the tower, said he saw inmate Danilo Sabas showing off a .38 revolver at him, proving jail officials' claims that there were firearms being hidden inside.
Negotiations between jail officials and inmate leaders went on.
As inmates showed signs of being violent, officials called for assistance from the police and fire departments.
Arriving to assess the situation were City Councilors Procopio Fernandez and Sylvan Jakosalem, City Prosecutor Jose Pedrosa and Cebu City Police Office Director Josephus Angan.
At 3 p.m., firefighters had to use their hoses to stop the inmates from creating more noise.
Stormed
About two hours later, inmates were able to enter the canteen, which sits across from the deputy warden's office and leads to the main lobby of the jail.
However, they did not set foot outside as jail personnel with Armalites and shotguns stationed themselves outside, preventing them from moving further.
The prisoners were able to ransack the canteen, throwing bottles and using the kerosene to lob Molotov bombs at firefighters in the main lobby.
FO3 Disney Salarda was wounded in his right forefinger after he was hit by broken glass.
The power plank was turned off in case all the water grounded the firemen.
As a last recourse, personnel were even preparing tear gas in case they still could not control the inmates.
The inmates calmed down a few minutes after 6 p.m., but personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Mobile Patrol Group, Special Weapons and Tactics team and Security and Service Group remained stationed outside the BBRC as of press time.
Wrecked
According to Berdin, Tuesday's incident gave the inmates a dose of their own medicine.
Aside from wrecking the wall of the canteen, the inmates also destroyed the public address system. All the water used to control the inmates seeped into the offices of Benitez, Baroro and the administration section.
Should the inmates fail to surrender the mentioned items, visiting privileges will be suspended for a whole week.
Regarding his relief, Baroro said it was normal for those undergoing investigation to be pulled out of their current assignment.
He said he did what he could to be of service and if his services were no longer needed, he will follow orders.
Baroro, Escaņo and Savior will be assigned at the BJMP 7 headquarters while they are being investigated. Sun.Star Cebu
(March 26, 2003 issue)
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