MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Corrections on Thursday said high-profile inmate Ruben Ecleo Jr., who was convicted on murder and graft charges, died that afternoon when his heart stopped.
BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chalag in a message said Ecleo passed away at 12:20 p.m. of May 13.
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It was not immediately clear if he died at the New Bilibid Prison or was taken to a hospital a week since recovering from moderate COVID-19.
The former Dinagat congressman was the Department of the Interior and Local Government's most wanted fugitive for years until his arrest in June 2020.
He had been living in Balibago, Angeles in Pampanga under a different name while evading arrest since 2011. Authorities transferred him to the national penitentiary in August last year.
Ecleo was a cult leader who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 for strangling his wife to death in 2002. He was also found guilty on three graft charges,for which he was sentenced to 31 years in jail.
Chaclag said Ecleo had other medical conditions involving his liver and kidneys. He had obstructive jaundice and chronic kidney disease secondary to obstructive uropathy, the BuCor spokesman said.