Bilibid escapee caught after robbing jeepney

An escapee from the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa and his two companions were arrested Friday afternoon for robbing a passenger jeepney at the corner of Panganiban and Colon Streets in barangay Pahina Central.

The fugitive was 36-year-old Allan Francisco who admitted to the police that he escaped last year from the national penitentiary where he was serving a prison term for possession of illegal drugs and robbery.

Francisco's two companions were identified as Herbert Pahugot, 26, and Lester Abanto, 26, both of whom are residents of barangay Ermita, Cebu City.

The three, armed with knives, took the Basak-Colon jeepney, announced a hold-up and divested the passengers of their belongings then disembarked.

The commotion caught the attention of two Mobile Patrol Group policemen who were conducting roving in their patrol car.

PO3 Arnulfo Cabales and PO1 Clint Almencion immediately acted by firing warning shots into the air and alerted bystanders in the area to block the path of the fleeing robbers. The mob closed in and held the three suspects until police caught up with them.

The policemen later frisked the suspects and seized an ice pick from Francisco, a fan knife from Pahugot and a survival knife with scabbard from Abanto.

One of the victims Elvie Enong, a resident of Sangi in Minglanilla, identified positively the suspects and recovered her shoulder bag containing P700 cash.

MPG chief, Arnel Banzon, said the three suspects are now detained at their detention cell pending the filing of charges against them at the prosecutor's office.

He said that the national penitentiary was already informed of the capture of Francisco but then the latter has to face an additional indictment for robbery. - Flor Z. Perolina/RAE