15 inmates escape from Rizal town jail

RODRIGUEZ, Rizal — Fifteen inmates facing charges ranging from robbery-holdup to drug pushing and illegal possession of firearms, escaped from the municipal jail here yesterday morning, police said.

Following the jailbreak, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina ordered the relief of Chief Inspector Mamerto de Loro as jail warden, and named Chief Inspector Malik Tagalangit as acting warden.

Senior Superintendent Leocadio Santiago, Rizal police director, identified the 15 escapees as Eddie Mendoza, Rodel Nicolas, Eddie Nicolas, Nomer Loriz, Renato Guillermo, Rommel Neria, Derius Zafra, Jeffrey Zafra, Ferdie Orbino, Lenilo Egos, Alexander Gonzales, Leo Laraza, Jojie Quizora, Neyre Montes and Franklin Mahinay.

One of the escapees, Mahinay, had been in jail for only a day. He was arrested on Tuesday for killing a barangay tanod, Edison Manlapas, last Feb. 1.

Santiago said the jailbreak was discovered at about 4 a.m. when a jail guard noticed that the detention cell on the second floor of the two-story building inside the forestry compound in Barangay San Jose was empty.

The two jail guards on duty, SJO4 Jose Minebe and JO1 Alberto Dejemel, promptly reported the incident to De Loro.

Santiago said the escapees sawed off the iron grills at the back of the municipal jail, jumped into a bushy area of the compound, and climbed up a 10-foot high concrete wall.

Arturo Alit, director of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, said they are investigating the incident and are readying charges against Mamerto and the four jail guards.

Prior to the jailbreak, the municipal jail housed 68 inmates.

Santiago said the 15 escapees are now being hunted down. — With Christina Mendez