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MANILA, Philippines – Less than a week after convicted killer Rolito Go went missing, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said another prisoner escaped from what is supposed to be the Philippines’ most tightly guarded jail.
In a dzMM interview Saturday, August 18, De Lima said a certain Rommel Laciste disappeared from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) maximum security compound in the evening of August 15. That was the same day the public learned Go, a minimum security inmate, was missing.
Prison authorities said Laciste could have escaped riding a truck supplying rice to Bilibid. Laciste was convicted by the Isabela Regional Trial Court for murder, De Lima noted.
“It seems there was again a breach of security,” De Lima said in a mix of English and Filipino. “He’s an escapee, and therefore can be a valid subject for a manhunt.”
In 2006, The Philippine Star said Laciste faced several criminal cases in Isabela. He was accused of masterminding the kidnap-slay of a 50-year-old assistant parole and probation officer in the province.
The officer, Concepcion Lumanglas, was snatched and was found dead in a cornfield. She was reportedly looking into Laciste’s background as he applied for probation in an illegal possession of firearms case.
Bilibid under fire
Like Laciste, Go escaped the eyes of prison officials when he disappeared on August 15. Convicted for killing a 25-year-old college student, he resurfaced a day later. Go claimed he was abducted while in jail.
Even the head of the Philippine National Police believes the convict’s claim.
The national penitentiary is now under public scrutiny for anomalies like this. Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) director Gaudencio Pangilinan Jr, who is blamed for Go’s disappearance, has gone on an indefinite leave.
Meanwhile, prison authorities have transferred Go to a hospital in Bilibid’s maximum security compound.
De Lima went to Bilibid’s maximum security compound on Saturday to inspect its security measures in place. “Titingnan natin ulit kung sino ang nagkulang dito sa NBP. This is the maximum security compound, so hindi dapat nangyayari yan,” she said. (We will look into who’s at fault in NBP. This is the maximum security compound, so this shouldn’t be happening.) – Rappler.com
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