Hunt on for 4 Davao escapees

DAVAO CITY — Last Monday was a bad day for officials of the Davao Penal Colony as well.

Just when Indonesian terror suspect Fathur Roman al-Ghozi, along with two Abu Sayyaf members, bolted the Intelligence Group jail inside Camp Crame, four inmates of the penal colony in Panabo, Davao del Norte also made good their escape.

According to reports reaching the Southern Mindanao police headquarters, the four inmates, all facing homicide charges, were no longer around during the routine headcount Monday afternoon.

They were identified as Romeo Laxamana, Alex Marcos, John Andales and Raul Marquez.

Chief Superintendent Isidro Lapeña, regional police director, has ordered a manhunt for the jailbreakers who are believed not to have gone far and who might seek refuge among their relatives. All four are natives of Mindanao.

In Iligan City, a double murder suspect, Baki Abdullah, covered himself with a malong, the all-around cloth used by Muslims, walked past two policemen guarding him in a hospital where he was being treated for gunshot wounds, and dashed off to freedom at dawn last Thursday.

Abdullah sustained the gunshot wounds when he resisted arrest last July 2.

Learning about the escape, Senior Superintendent Rogelio Nuneza, Iligan City police chief, immediately disarmed Abdullah’s two guards, SPO2 Rogelio Dinglasa and SPO1 Jose Vivares, and ordered them investigated.

The two policemen belong to the patrol unit but were assigned to look after Abdullah because of lack of personnel, according to Senior Inspector Carlito Niaga, chief of the patrol section.

Investigation showed that Abdullah, also known by aliases Baki Panda and Basher Mangondato, got help from hospital watchers and visitors in making good his escape at 3 a.m. — With Lino de la Cruz