Manhunt on for 6 Laguna jailbreakers

Camp Vicente Lim, Laguna — The police are hunting six inmates who escaped from the Laguna provincial jail in Sta. Cruz town after taking a jail guard hostage early Saturday night.

Chief Inspector Steve Ludan, Sta. Cruz police chief, identified the jailbreakers as Ronald Rivas, Victor Celestial, Dodong Lopez, Orlando Yulas, Maphol Magbanua and Louie Famador.

Reports said the six inmates grabbed the caliber .38 service revolver of jail guard Socrates Herradura at about 6 p.m. and held him hostage before escaping. They also took his M-16 Armalite rifle.

Provincial jail warden Cesario Perez said all the inmates, numbering about 1,500, gathered that afternoon for a Mass celebrated by Fr. Olan Andes of the Pastoral Care of Prisons.

"They were all assembled at the provincial jail grounds where the Mass was held," Perez told The STAR.

He said the six inmates managed to slip out during the headcount at about 5 p.m. and hide at the back of the provincial jail.

While in hiding, the inmates chanced upon Herradura, who was then relieving himself near the tower and snatched his caliber .38 revolver and M-16 Armalite rifle.

At gunpoint, they instructed Herradura to lead them to the tower where they then jumped out of the windows.

The six escapees fled toward the boundary of Pagsanjan and Lumban towns. The police suspect that they boarded a boat in the Laguna Lake on their way to Rizal.

The jailbreakers are tagged in drug-related cases, murder, frustrated murder and robbery. — With Ed Amoroso