It was an opportunity he could not walk away from –so he walked away.
A detainee inadvertently released by a policewoman from the Fuente Osmeña police station holding cell last Tuesday surrendered to the law yesterday dawn after much convincing from his mother.
Last February 21, the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force turned over Edward Cabrera Talingting and Jeffrey Quijano to the Fuente police for selling illegal drugs.
The RAIDSOTF does not have its own holding cell.
Fuente police station chief Henry Biñas said PO1 Eva Caminade inadvertently released Talinting last Tuesday afternoon by mistake.
He said there were nine inmates that day in the cell and Caminade did not know exactly all the faces and identities of the detainees as she had just relieved the duty desk officer.
According to the report, Caminade was looking for Chito Cabrera, who was set for release after his family reportedly paid his administrative fine for drunkenness —a violation of City Ordinance 512.
Unknown to Caminade, Cabrera was already released earlier that morning and Talingting may have grabbed the opportunity after the policewoman called for the name of Cabrera, which is his middle initial.
City police chief Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador said Talingting may have realized he was facing non-bailable charges for selling drugs and decided to try his luck.
After his release, the suspect hid in barangay Malubog, Danao City, but decided to surrender to the police after his mother convinced him to.
Talingting surrendered to Labangon barangay councilmen Ana Lozano and Fabian Aves who turned him over to PO3 Amid Lozano of Regional Intelligence Division. To avoid the incident, Biñas said he will no longer accept detainees from other police units if they are already in custody of many detainees.
Comendador allows his station chiefs to decide whether or not to accept additional detainees from other units outside CCPO.
Although Caminade claimed she released the prisoner by mistake, she will still face investigation for possible lapses, if she is found to be liable she faces a light penalty. “There must be an investigation against Caminade because the deed has already been done. Kung subayon serious neglect of duty gyud ni siya but based on the facts that she inadvertently released the inmate maybe maka-lower ni sa silot,” Comendador said. — Edwin Ian Melecio with Fred P. Languido/BRP