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Saturday, February 03, 2007
Gunmen raid jail, free bomb suspects, 46 other inmates
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- Armed men used a grenade launcher to punch a hole in a jail wall in Kidapawan City early Friday, then freed three suspected bombers and dozens of other inmates, officials said.
At least 50 fully-armed men with grenade launchers and rifles destroyed the padlocks of six cells after they blasted their way into the overcrowded North Cotabato provincial jail, allowing 49 inmates to escape, deputy jail warden Redentor Marasigan said.
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The attack happened around 1:20 a.m.
Four guards desperately put up a defense by opening fire on the attackers, setting off a brief clash that wounded at least one inmate, Marasigan said in a telephone interview.
The guards were quickly overwhelmed by the attackers who used an M203 grenade launcher to gain entry into the one-story building, he said.
"My men couldn't do anything against their overwhelming number and firepower," added Marasigan.
Authorities said the raiders released a total of 49 inmates, including three suspected bombers in just 15 minutes.
Of those who escaped, at least 12 were facing murder charges, including six charged with multiple murders, while the others were facing kidnapping cases and other serious crimes.
Among the high-profile inmates released by the raiders were Kair Mundos, Datu Ali Sultan, and Tukan Guindo. The three were accused of perpetrating bombing incidents in the cities of Kidapawan, General Santos, and Cotabato.
After the incident, the attackers fled to a hilly-forested area at the back of the jail, which houses more than 780 inmates, about double its capacity, Marasigan said.
Many inmates refused to join the escape, he said.
The attackers fled to Barangay Patadon then onwards to Barangay Malinan in Mlang.
Chief Superintendent German Doria, police regional director for Central Mindanao, said they have already deployed forces, helped by Army troops, to try to contain the inmates in the area.
Doria said they have not yet identified the attackers and refused to confirm if they are indeed members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
But North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Piñol said the attackers might have been separatist guerrillas from the MILF.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu however denied outright the claim that the Moro front was behind the jail raid.
"As an organization we have nothing to do with it. We do not have any interest in that," Kabalu said.
Kabalu added though that they are also conducting their own investigation to determine the identity of the attackers.
He also did not discount the possibility that some former group members perpetrated the attack.
The MILF has long been demanding for the release of the bombing suspects, among those who escaped from the jail, because they are innocent of the charges.
The MILF earlier confirmed that the bombing suspects are supporters of the Moro secessionist group.
Piñol, meanwhile, admitted that they were "caught with our pants down."
He said though that a shoot-to-kill order was already issued against the attackers.
"I have ordered police to shoot these very dangerous people if they will resist arrest. They are better dead because they are a menace to our communities," the governor was quoted as saying.
Piñol has put up a reward for the capture of the escapees at P25,000 each.
Provincial jail warden Noli Piñol, in his report to the governor, said some 60 armed men joined the initial attack at the back of the jail, then 20 to 25 men in fatigues went into the jail compound.
The attackers pulled detainees out and warned others they would be killed if they resisted, he added.
The jail warden said he has long asked the government to confine inmates accused of serious crimes like bombing, kidnapping and terror attacks in special, heavily secured detention buildings because poorly guarded rural jails are vulnerable to attacks.
Jailbreaks are common in the country because of dilapidated facilities, which are often derisively described as among the most porous in the world, and corruption among some guards. (With Peng Aliño/AP)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (February 3, 2007 issue)
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