Ma surrenders Mandaluyong jail escapee

MANILA, Philippines - The mother of an inmate who escaped from the Mandaluyong City police jail last Monday surrendered her son on Wednesday, an official said yesterday.

The surrender of Archie Pacheco brought to four the number of inmates who were returned to the jail after the mass escape, which resulted in the relief of five policemen assigned to the facility.

Pacheco’s mother, Nida, coordinated with Mandaluyong police chief Senior Superintendent Tyrone Masigon for his surrender.

Masigon said Pacheco, who is facing drug possession charges, hid in his partner’s house in La Loma, Caloocan City.

His mother handed him over to Mandaluyong police officers at a gasoline station in Caloocan just before 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Like his three fellow escapees, Pacheco pointed to fellow inmate Jordan Villadolid as the one who planned the mass escape.

The inmates claimed Villadolid’s wife supplied an iron saw they used to saw off four grills of the ventilation window in the bathroom.

The local police are preparing charges against Villadolid’s wife for aiding the inmates in their escape, Masigon said.

He said three police teams are searching for the seven remaining escapees.