It was an inside job in more ways than one. It now appears that one of the 11 inmates who escaped from the Maguindanao provincial jail here on July 10 was the keeper of the keys to at least three prison cells, a police investigation showed.
A former Moro rebel-turned-bandit, Datukan Montok Samad alias “Lastikman,” and 11 other detainees escaped recently from the Maguindanao provincial jail, a commentary on the inefficiency of the country’s jail guards.
Moro rebels tried but failed to free the “Lastikman” when they stormed the North Cotabato provincial jail in Kidapawan City in February. Three people were killed and 15 others wounded.
Interior Secretary Jesse M. Robredo called Tuesday for the transfer of management of jails under local government units to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) following the escape of 11 prisoners from the Maguindanao Provincial Jail in Cotabato City.
