Four Medellin jail escapees still at large

THE four escapees from the Medellin District Jail in northern Cebu remained at large after another manhunt operation yesterday failed.

Personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Medellin Police Station conducted a hot pursuit operation but as of past 5 p.m. yesterday, the four escapees have not been recaptured, said SPO1 Winston Isnani of the Medellin police.

The inmates, who escaped last Monday dawn, were identified as Rene Benaro Solon alias “Boboy” from Kawit, Medellin; Alvic Arrabis Inot from Pajo, Daanbantayan; Joselito Abrao Pantaleon alias “Dandan” from Lamintak Sur, Medellin; and Kim Flores Invento of Dayhagon, Medellin.

They are facing drug and gun charges.

Officials of the BJMP, which runs and operates the facility in Medellin, have yet to give details on how the inmates escaped.

Senior Insp. Richard Laure, warden of the district jail, refused to comment when reached by Cebu Daily News yesterday, saying he was attending to important matters.

Giles Anthony Villamor, secretary to the mayor of Medellin,  said they were told by BJMP personnel that the jailbreak was well planned.

Villamor said jail personnel claimed that the escapees were able to cut the railings of their detention cell using a guitar cord.

After getting out of their detention cells, the inmates scaled the fence.

Villamor said they believed that the jail guards should be investigated on why they failed to detect the escape of the four prisoners  at dawn.

He noted that the compound was well lighted.

He said the BJMP must conduct the investigation and impose sanctions, especially since this is not the first jailbreak that occurred in the facility.

The facility is located in sitio Lutsa, barangay Caputatan Sur. It was established  by BJMP two years ago and has around 300 prisoners from the different towns of northern Cebu, except for Bogo which has its own BJMP-run jail, said Villamor.