Raps readied vs Bilibid guards over breakout

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Vicente Vinarao has approved the filing of charges against five jail guards liable for the attempted escape of four inmates from the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) last month.

Vinarao said an investigation conducted by the agency’s legal office showed there was gross neglect of duty on the part of prison guards Joffrey Lim, Rolando Bugarin, Eric Pactorayan, Salvador Villadolid and Enrique Valenzuela that led to the escape of four prisoners last Oct. 9.

The inmates were later killed in a shootout with police and prison guards.

"The case of gross neglect of duty against the said jail guards is set to be filed at our legal office. This will automatically mean suspension from duty of the five guards. However, they can still be reinstated or permanently dismissed from office depending on the results of the hearing of the case," Vinarao explained.

Lawyer Rachel Ruelo, head of the bureau’s legal office, said their initial probe revealed that the inmates who tried to escape easily overpowered the guards on duty, particularly Lim, Pactorayan and Valenzuela, who were assigned to Building 14.

Bugarin and Villadolid were manning the Field Operations Detachment.

"We found basis that they were remiss in their duties as shown, for instance by the door which was left unlocked. It is their responsibility to secure their assigned areas, but they seem to have failed in doing so," Ruelo said.

Vinarao said that after the incident, the jail guards were pulled out from their original areas of assignment and given different tasks.

Some were deployed as tower guards while the others were detailed at the "agro division" of the NBP, where they watch over inmates engaged in planting activities.

The inmates killed in the shootout were Edgar Macarse, Rolando Paraiso and Julio Deloritos. All three were serving sentences from six years to life imprisonment for high-profile crimes like highway robbery, homicide and robbery in band.

The fourth inmate, identified as Damaso Job was captured and taken into police custody following the escape. However, he tried to get away from his escorts and was also killed.

NBP Superintendent Juanito Leopando said the inmates grabbed one of the jail guard’s Armalite rifle and beat him up. The inmates managed to leave the prison premises and sought refuge at the Everest Memorial Park in Susana Heights, Muntinlupa City before engaging police and guards in a shootout.

There are 7,000 inmates in the maximum security compound of the NBP.