‘High risk’ inmate escapes Negros Oriental prov’l jail

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — A suspected leader of a robbery gang, deemed a “high risk” inmate, literally walked out of the Negros Oriental Detention and Rehabilitation Center in a daring escape Thursday morning.

Governor Roel Degamo has ordered an investigation on the jailbreak of Ricardo Ebasan, 44, tagged by the PNP Highway Patrol Team as the alleged leader of the Ebasan-Dinglasa Akyat-Bahay group, who was jailed at NODRC on February 20 after his arrest in Ajong, Sibulan.

The governor ordered Joselito Bito-on, warden of NODRC, to submit immediately an incident report on the escape of Ebasan. All jail personnel on duty at the time of the jailbreak shall be subjected also to investigation. The NORDC is under the supervision of the provincial government.

An initial report showed Ebasan took advantage of getting past the guards of the gates, as he followed his live-in partner, Iris Dinglasa, out after her visit to him at past 11 a.m.

Dinglasa came to jail with a child, and although the NODRC bars children from entering, there was a receiving area in the front yard for inmates to receive visitors with children.

Ebasan’s escape was apparently well-planned because a still unidentified man drove up on a motorcycle to the main gate of the jail as soon as the inmate stepped out of the compound.

Bito-on said a “trustee” (also an inmate) had let Dinglasa and the child out of the gate, while some jail guards were situated a few feet away at the doorway to the main building of the prison facility. Everything happened so fast and the next thing they (guards) knew, Ebasan had already boarded the motorcycle that sped off towards Camanjac village.

Dinglasa and the child could not be located but were believed to have crossed the street towards some food stalls, said Bito-on. A hot pursuit ensued with Bito-on and other jail guards going after Ebasan but to no avail. They also alerted the Dumaguete City police about the jailbreak.

Bito-on admitted that Dinglasa could have had a cellphone with her which made her communicate with the driver of the getaway motorcycle.

Ebasan, besides the three cases filed against him in Tanjay City, has been tagged, along with Dinglasa, as leaders of a group responsible for a series of burglary, carnapping (usually motorcycles) and robbery incidents in Dumaguete and other parts of Negros Oriental.

HPT chief Robelito Mariano expressed dismay upon learning of Ebasan’s escape from jail, saying that jail authorities should have kept the “high profile” inmate under tight security. (FREEMAN)