A report of the incident identified the escapees as robbery suspects John Mazulot, Jessie Constantino, Punzal Mawari, Sabanli Habib and Rogely Fuentes; Jesus Capindig and Arthur Gumandel, both arrested for alleged drug trafficking; and Tony Villar, who was arrested for alleged acts of lasciviousness.
According to the report, Senior Police Officer 3 Danilo Dorado, the jail’s officer-on-duty, went to the comfort room of the female detention cell to defecate, as he was allegedly suffering from diarrhea at about 2:30 a.m.
The report said that as went to the comfort room, Dorado placed the keys to the male detention cell inside his table drawer. After five minutes, Dorado returned and was shocked to see the cell keys already missing from his drawer.
A head count of the male detainees later confirmed the escape of the eight detainees. The DIID integrated jail is located at the second floor of the WPD headquarters along United Nations Avenue.
Initial investigation showed that after securing the keys to their cells, the eight detainees unlocked the padlock in the middle room of the jail and then unlocked the padlock of the gate leading down the stairway.
After unlocking all the padlocks, the escapees then went down the stairway and headed straight out of the headquarters through a small gate near the WPD Press Corps Office at the corner of United Nations Avenue and San Marcelino Street.
Alerted by the escape, policemen were able to recapture Mazulot, Constantino and Mawari after a five-minute chase that ended at Romualdez Street, some two blocks away. Later that day, Villar was surrendered to the police by his grandmother.
According to Chief Inspector Gerry Agunod, WPD spokesman, outgoing WPD director Chief Superintendent Nicolas Pasinos has ordered an investigation of the incident.
For the meantime, Pasinos has ordered the disarming of Dorado and jail warden Inspector Juanito Dizon.
The General Assignments Section of the WPD also recommended the filing of charges of infidelity in the custody of detainees and serious neglect of duty against Dorado and Dizon. Summary dismissal proceedings are also being readied against the two.
Meanwhile, administrative charges are also being readied against the two other policemen who were supposed to be on duty with Dorado at the jail.
According to Superintendent Marcelino Pedrozo, WPD-GAS chief, the two unidentified policemen failed to report for work at the time of the jailbreak.
"They were supposed to be on duty but they failed to report for work. We will investigate if they were really sick at that time. Three policemen are supposed to be on duty at the jail at any time," said Pedrozo. – Mike Frialde