‘Mario’ floods force transfer of 400 jailbirds

Commuters cross a flooded street for a fee after heavy monsoon rains spawned by tropical storm Fung-Wong (local name Mario) flooded Manila and most parts of the metropolis Friday, Sept 19, 2014 in the Philippines. AP

MANILA, Philippines—A total of 432 detainees were evacuated by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Friday as rains unleashed by Tropical Storm “Mario” also flooded jails in Rizal and Bulacan provinces.

In an advisory, the BJMP said a total of 319 inmates were moved from the San Mateo municipal jail in Rizal to a nearby school.

In Meycauyan, Bulacan, chest-high floods also forced the transfer of 113 inmates in the municipal jail to another detention facility in Sta. Maria town, the bureau said.

The BJMP gave assurances that the evacuated inmates remained under close guard. Radyo Inquirer