Philippine jails

3 convicts escape from Bilibid, NBI foils Kerwin’s attempt

Lian Buan

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

3 convicts escape from Bilibid, NBI foils Kerwin’s attempt

ARMED AND DANGEROUS. Three murder suspects escape from the New Bilibid Prison on January 17, 2022.

(2nd UPDATE) Alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa tries to escape the NBI detention center through a hole in the ceiling, the NBI says

MANILA, Philippines – Shooting it out with prison guards, three murder and homicide convicts escaped from the New Bilibid Prison Maximum Security Compound in the early hours of Monday, January 17, according to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag identified the escapees, “considered armed and dangerous,” as the following:

  1. Arwin Villeza Bio – murder and attempted murder in Parañaque
  2. Drakilou Yosores Falcon – robbery with homicide in Leyte, with pending double murder case in Tarlac
  3. Pacific Vaillaruz Adlawan – frustrated homicide in Surigao del Sur, with pending homicide case in Cavite

Chaglag said on Tuesday, January 18, that Bio and Adlawan were later killed, while the other one remained at large.

“Two PDL escapees  were neutralized by BuCor and police combined forces after they fired shots at our personnel. The third PDL escapee, PDL Drakilou y Falcon is still on the loose and search operations are still being conducted as of this time,” he said.

“The public is hereby enjoined to notify BuCor Authorities at hotline number: 09178049362, 09186001081 or the nearest police station near them,” said BuCor.

Muntinlupa police said that Bio, Adlawan, and Falcon jumped from path walk and immediately fired upon the duty guard at Gate 4 near the tower, and proceeded to Gate 3 “where they again fired upon the duty guard at Gate 3 and exited Sitio Magdaong, NBP Reservation Area.”

Three jail guards and another convict were wounded in the shootout during the incident. They were taken to the Ospital ng Muntinlupa.

BuCor had been plagued by mysterious deaths, and deadly riots.

Following the recent Bilibid riots and the latest incident, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said, “I will also recommend to the Office of the President that disciplinary action be taken against BUCOR officials who may be found guilty of gross neglect of duty.”

NBI foils Kerwin Espinosa’s attempt

Prisoners at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) detention center also tried to escape, said NBI chief Eric Distor.

The escape try was led by alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, who was acquitted in one of his drug charges just before the year ended, but is still held in custody over other pending non-bailable drug charges.

Distor said agents received a tip on January 13 that Espinosa and two other prisoners were “planning to escape our detention facility through the hole of the exhaust fan at the ceiling.”

“On the same night, they immediately conducted an inspection of the jail. In one of the cells of the jail, the raiding team of agents observed a deformed exhaust fan, which when emoved, exposed a hole fit for a detainee to escape,” said Distor.

Distor added “security measures at the jail has since been tightened with regular inspection of all jail facilities.”

Espinosa and his father were hunted by President Rodrigo Duterte as he launched his bloody war on drugs.

The elder Espinosa, Rolando Espinosa Sr, was jailed in 2016 but was killed inside his cell. The policemen who killed Espinosa Sr, a former mayor of Albuera town in Leyte, faced charges which were downgraded to homicide, which was bailable. The 19 policemen were later acquitted by a Quezon City court.

BuCor and NBI are both attached agencies of the Department of Justice. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!
Face, Happy, Head

author

Lian Buan

Lian Buan is a senior investigative reporter, and minder of Rappler's justice, human rights and crime cluster.