#1 Details: Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero said the military had warned officials at the Basilan jail that the Abu Sayyaf suspects were planning to escape. Lucero said military officials had asked that additional guards be posted at the jail, but it wasn’t immediately clear if their warnings were heeded. Akbar, for his part, said the jailbreak would not have occurred had the BJMP facilitated the immediate transfer of detained Abu Sayyaf members. Akbar said the provincial government made several requests to the BJMP to relocate the Abu Sayyaf detainees to join their 122 comrades at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.
But because of budgetary constraints, Akbar said their request for the transfer of Abu Sayyaf detainees was shelved, forcing the provincial government to finance their continued detention at the provincial jail. Akbar said the provincial jail could only accommodate 40 inmates but it had to receive the 137 Abu Sayyaf bandits who are facing trial on charges of murder and kidnapping.
The military reported that four more escapees were recaptured yesterday, bringing the number of recaptured inmates to 22. Eight of the inmates have been killed, five of whom were confirmed Abu Sayyaf members. Basilan provincial police director Senior Superintendent Bensali Jabarani identified four of the recaptured Abu Sayyaf members as Guillermo Sabtula Salcedo, Abdul Rahman Ismale Diolagla, Abtullah Apah Masmoud and Hadji Amar Ngaya. Authorities identified the three of the nine escapees killed in the pursuit operations as Boy Flores, Siddik Ahamad and Momud Indana, all facing charges of murder. Lucero said the police and military have consolidated their forces to ensure that all the remaining 34 escapees are recaptured. Officials were trying to determine how many Abu Sayyaf bandits were among the escapees as security forces continued a massive hunt for them. One of those who led the escape was identified as Abu Blak, an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader accused of beheading 10 people and kidnapping of 30 villagers in Balobo, Lamitan town in Basilan, in 2001.
"I’ve lost men in capturing some of those who escaped, a lot of efforts were exerted," said Lucero, who was an Army battalion commander in Basilan before being designated as a military spokesman. "This will greatly affect the momentum in our fight against terrorism, particularly in Basilan, but this should not deter us from recapturing them." Provincial officials said a pistol had been smuggled into the jail and was used by a prisoner to seize guns from guards to launch the breakout. Akbar said initial investigations showed there was "laxity among the guards." Provincial jail warden Chief Inspector Jumaril Sali admitted that the jailbreak turned "uncontrollable" because guards on duty were overpowered. Sali said he has ordered the 21 guards who were on duty during the Black Saturday jailbreak to explain their side. Akbar, on the other hand, reported the progress of the manhunt for the remaining fugitives, citing reports from the police forces and government militia forces who joined the pursuit operations. Akbar said the escapees split into several groups fleeing toward known Abu Sayyaf lairs.
Looks like overcrowding in the local slammer was a big problem, plus mixing terrorists with general population. |