Navotas social welfare chief charged for child inmates' escape

MANILA, Philippines - The Navotas police has filed criminal charges against the chief of the city government’s social welfare office and her aide for the escape of eight youth inmates from the Navotas Holding Center on Dec. 25, 2011, an official said yesterday.

Navotas police chief Senior Superintendent Florendo Quibuyen said he is also set to file another case against Patria Agcaoili for another jailbreak – nine inmates escaped from the same detention facility for minors last month.

Quibuyen said Agcaoili and her aide, Elsie Perez, 60, were charged for violating Article 365 of the Revised Penal Code for the Dec. 25, 2011 escape.

He said two of the escaped inmates reportedly beat inmate RJ Raca, 15, to death in the holding center’s bathroom a week before Christmas Day last year because he belonged to a rival group.

Agcaoili was included in the charge sheet based on the complaint by Raca’s family, Quibuyen said, adding that the filing of administrative charges is up to the office of Mayor John Rey Tiangco.

Perez was the welfare guard on duty at the time of the Christmas Day jailbreak.

The hearing for the case is scheduled next week, Police Officer 2 Exequiel Sangco said.

A second set of charges will be filed against welfare guards Salvacion Villanueva and Donato Alburo, who were on duty when nine inmates escaped on Jan. 24.

The two jailbreaks were led by Raca’s alleged killers, two 16-year-old boys who had been charged with murder and robbery. The two were recaptured on Jan. 26 while reportedly waiting to rob commuters in Barangay North Bay Boulevard South in Navotas.

Lax security

Quibuyen, in an earlier interview, said the holding center, which is located at the ground floor of the Navotas police station, suffers from lax security measures and an inefficient system of regulating visitors.

“The visits are not controlled. No consistent schedules. Also, it appears there is no effective counseling program in place,” he said.

Prior to the last two jailbreaks, 13 inmates escaped in October last year. Four were later recaptured.

Agcaoili said she has sacked Perez and replaced her with Villanueva and Alburo, who were also replaced after the Jan. 24 jailbreak.

She said the center has a closed-circuit television camera but Quibuyen said they are not sure whether the device is properly monitored.

Agcaoili said she is implementing reforms to prevent another jailbreak at the holding center.