A NOTORIOUS crime group leader and four other prisoners bolted out of their cells early Tuesday morning, June 29, at the Negros Occidental District Jail in Barangay Tabunan in Bago City.
Authorities identified the escapees as Alejandro Montoya, Daniel Tamon, Marvin Celeste, Danilo Celeste, and Francisco Epogon, leader of the notorious Epogon robbery hold-up group.
Based on initial information released by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the escape was discovered after the duty shift supervisor conducted an inspection and spotted an improvised rope at the jail's perimeter fence near Tower #2.
Initial investigation as to how the five managed to escape revealed that the prisoners sawed the steel bars of Cell #6.
Once out of their cell, the five climbed the perimeter fence and roped their way down by using the improvised rope, which was made of old clothes.
Further information on the five's criminal backgrounds showed that they have charges ranging from murder, attempted homicide, carnapping, acts of lasciviousness, robbery with intimidation, robbery with homicide, and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Police MSgt. Leonel Gepaya, intelligence officer of the Cauayan Municipal Police Station, said they served a warrant of arrest against Epogon last June 21 after they tracked him at the town's Barangay Isio.
During the arrest, Gepaya said they also recovered a fragmentation grenade from Epogon.
Lieutenant Colonel Eduardo Corpuz, Victorias City police chief, said the Celeste brothers and Montoya were charged with carnapping, robbery, attempted homicide, and illegal possession of firearms.
He said the brothers are residents of Barangay Gawahon, Victorias City.
Both the Cauayan and Victorias City police have already set up their respective border checkpoints in response to the escape.
A manhunt operation has also been launched against the five escapees.
In response to the incident, BJMP spokesperson Jairus Anthony Dogelio said Jail Superintendent Pricel Arevalo has been relieved from his post as jail warden of NODJ.
Replacing Arevalo as jail warden is Jail Chief Inspector Abner Zamora.