THE manhunt to recapture the remaining 13 prison breakers from Valencia City jail in Barangay Pinatilan on Wednesday continues as five escapees have been captured and three surrendered, police said on Thursday.
Police Superintendent Ronnie Francis Cariaga, spokesperson of the Northern Mindanao Police Regional Headquarters in Camp Alagar, said jail breakers were captured and some surrendered on Thursday.
Inmate Albert Espinosa, the alleged mastermind of the jail break, was captured. The police recovered a 9mm pistol from him. Another inmate, Reymart Belmes, who had one of the 12-gauge shotguns, was also captured.
Police said Belmes could have been in-charge of their getaway vehicles, the two motorcycles. Inmates Rogelio Tayros was captured by Valencia police at Purok, 1A extension in Valencia and Roel Llacuna was also captured later.
Jamaal Sambarani was turned over to the police after he surrendered to the barangay officials of Pinatilan. Carlos Lubos surrendered to the police while Ronald Ga and Jorem Barros surrendered to the Bureau of Jail Management Penology officers.
The manhunt operations have been expanded to areas outside Valencia City. Flash police alarms have been sent to neighboring provinces to alert all police stations and establish checkpoints.
The remaining escapees are still in possession of five shotguns and four 9mm pistols that they took from the jail’s armory.
The Valencia City jail has 454 inmates.
Focus on recovery
Jail Senior Inspector Samuel Palionay of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Northern Mindanao (BJMP) headquarters said that a composite search team comprising the BJMP personnel, police officers and soldiers from the 8th Infantry Battalion have spread their teams to bigger and wider search areas.
Palionay said the inmates vanished in the mountainous farmlands and plains of Valencia.
Palionay added that they believed those who have eluded the tracking team may have moved into the mountains where the New People’s Army operate.
Palionay furthered that this complicates the tracking of the inmates who are also considered armed and dangerous.
The search and recovery of the remaining 13 inmates is the top priority of the BJMP while they are also processing the other recaptured inmates.
Police checkpoints are also set-up all across access roads and main highways in Bukidnon.
Palionay added that the recovered inmates will undergo briefing on the policies while under custody awaiting trials.
“By law, we cannot file cases for inmates who escape while they are still awaiting conviction,” Palionay said.
However, additional cases will be filed to inmates who were caught with firearms or those who stole vehicles to get away.
Cases will also be filed to inmates who resisted arrest from the tracking team.
“We will study what other cases we can file to these inmates,” Palionay said.
The police will also investigate if there was outside help in the jailbreak.
Reshuffle
Palionay added that the on-duty officers of the city jail at the time of the jailbreak will be put under investigation.
“We will determine why they (jail officers) failed to perform their duty and allowed the prisoners to bolt out,” Palionay said.
He also said that the BJMP officials at the Valencia City Jail will also be shuffled.
“Administrative cases will be filed against the officials neglecting their duties,” Palionay said.
Surrender
Jail Chief Inspector Jason Guy Reyes, BJMP-Bukidnon administrator in an interview over a local TV news, called on the relatives of the escapees to advise them to surrender.
Reyes also said that they will guarantee the safety of every inmate who bolted out that “they will not be harmed," Reyes said.