Prisoner throws garbage, escapes police station

CEBU CITY, Philippines—A prisoner of the Asturias Police Station, who was tasked to dispose garbage around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, found opportunity to escape the facility.

After he disposed the garbage, Anthony Traso, 22, took advantage of the fenceless back portion of the facility and ran to the highway.

He then disappeared among the densely forested area of Sitio Tabay Daan, Barangay Poblacion, Asturias town.

Asturian is located 74 kilometers from Cebu City via the Cebu Transcentral Highway.

Police Major Stephen Amamag-id, chief of Asturias Police Station, said they immediately conducted a search operation of Traso, who was imprisoned for frustrated murder.

The police also tapped Traso’s friends and family members to check if he did not seek shelter with any of them.

The police and Traso’s family members and friends combed the area while they called out his name.

At 4 p.m., after a 10-hour search, Traso emerged from the forest and surrendered to the police.

Amamag-id said Traso escaped because of the hot and humid environment of the prison cell.

“Ana siya init kuno kaayo sa sulod unya mura siya og ma-boryo,” Amamag-id said. 

(He said it was too hot inside the cell and he started to hallucinate.)

Amamag-id said Traso was able to easily escaped the facility because the back area of their station, where they dispose their garbage, has no fence as they just recently moved to the new station.

The police are still looking for possible cases that they will file against Traso. / celr