Manhunt ordered for priest-killer

ALABEL, Sarangani — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has launched a nationwide manhunt for priest-killer Norberto Ma-nero who escaped from his prison cell here before dawn last Thursday.

PNP chief Director General Leandro Mendoza said he also ordered an investigation of the jail guards on duty at the Sarangani provincial jail when Manero, who is being tried for kidnapping and murder, escaped.

Manero, his two brothers and four men were sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for murdering Italian priest Tullio Favali in Tulunan, North Cotabato two years earlier.

He escaped from the Davao penal colony in 1992 but was recaptured. His life sentence was reduced to 24 years by then President Fidel Ramos and was eventually pardoned by Ramos’ successor, Joseph Estrada, in 1999 in a widely criticized move.

Estrada was later forced to revoke the pardon after being told that Manero also faces separate kidnapping and murder charges.

Manero’s escape from the local jail here was reported to the provincial government only Thursday night, some 14 hours after jail guards discovered he was missing.

Quoting a report from the jail’s assistant warden, Sarangani Gov. Prescilla Chiongbian said Manero may have managed to sneak out of prison by hiding inside the trunk of a car driven by Julie Yee, his third wife, who visited him Wednesday night.

The report said Yee came to the jail at 10 p.m. Wednesday to visit Manero. Since it was "visiting day," the guards allowed her to stay for the night. She arrived on board a green Toyota Corolla with an unidentified driver.

At about 12 midnight, jail guard Bernard Africa did a routine headcount of the prisoners and he still found Manero inside the jail’s "conjugal room" with Yee.

Africa then signed out for the day, turning over the jail’s keys and logbook to another guard, Gabriel Acsalan.

At about 2:30 a.m. of Thursday, guard Doroteo Pelino, who was posted at the jail’s clubhouse, said he saw Yee’s car leaving. Pelino called Acsalan, who was in charge of the logbook, to inspect the car. Acsalan said he saw Yee, her driver and some bags and boxes in the car. He admitted, however, that he did not check the car’s trunk.

At 6 a.m. that day, during a routine headcount, Manero was already gone.

Acting jail warden Sales said guards scoured the entire prison but failed to find Manero.

Chiongbian, for her part, ordered Pelino, Acsalan and Africa suspended while investigation is being done on Manero’s escape.

Surprise, surprise

In General Santos City, Manero’s relatives and lawyers expressed surprise over his reported escape.

His younger brother Artemio, who is one of his co-accused in the kidnapping and murder of Ali and Mambatawan Mamalumpong in South Cotabato in 1977, said he never heard Manero planning to bolt jail.

"He did not mention to me that he was planning to escape," said Artemio who is under the custody of the mayor of Polomolok, a town in South Cotabato.

Artemio said he last saw his brother during their hearing on March 16 at the sala of Sarangani Judge Jaime Infante. He said Manero was frustrated when Infante approved the prosecution’s appeal for another hearing on May 7.

"We were already expecting a dismissal ruling in that hearing," he said.

Manero’s lawyer Tomas Falgui II, meanwhile, said he only knew of the escape Thursday morning. He said he was able to talk to Yee, the wife of the priest-killer, and was told that she had no involvement whatsoever in the escape.

"She told me that her car was properly inspected when she left the jail compound and that she did not help Manero escape," he said.

Falgui also expressed confusion over Manero’s possible motive to bolt jail. "The last hearing for the case was already set and we are very confident to get a dismissal," he said.

The Mamalumpong kidnapping and double murder case was unearthed a day after Estrada pardoned Manero. The case was archived in 1981 when Manero and his fellow accused escaped from detention before they were even indicted. The judge who issued a warrant of arrest for Manero and four others for the case has already died.

Falgui noted that the main witness in the case, a certain Johana Mamalumpong, has already retracted her accusations and forgiven the accused. He said he is still expecting the case to be dismissed for lack of evidence even in the wake of Manero’s escape.

"The escape has nothing to do with the merits of the case," he stressed.

‘Hidden hands’

There have been insinuations that Manero may been allowed to escape by some "hidden hands" to work on "something" for the coming elections.

His last escape from jail in Davao happened before the 1992 national polls. And being known as a pro-government militia leader who served dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s, he is still believed to be available for sensitive missions, particularly in Mindanao.

Lagui denied all these. He said that although Manero still has links with some influential politicians and ranking military men in Mindanao, he has already disbanded his group and "abandoned his old life."

In an interview he had with reporters when he was pardoned, Manero even said he would just retreat to his hometown and enjoy a "quiet life."

ABS-CBN television network said Manero’s fellow prisoners at the Sarangani jail had said that the priest-killer was escorted by jail guards and that there had been attempts to cover up his escape.

Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said he already tasked the National Bureau of Investigation to dig deeper into these reports. "We will charge whoever is guilty of infidelity in the conduct of prisoners," he said.

The Department of Interior and Local Government, which has control over provincial jails, has also launched a probe on Manero’s escape.

Interior Secretary Jose Lina said he will demand a regular headcount of prisoners in all jails, especially in the days leading to the May 14 elections.

"There had been reports that political warlords are using prisoners as bodyguards and private armies during the campaign period," he said. – With reports from Delon Porcalla, Jaime Laude, Perseus Echeminada