2 cops face admin, criminal raps over Caloocan jailbreak

Detainees rush to the streets early Thursday morning after escaping the Caloocan police jail. Screenshot from the Caloocan police CCTV footage

MANILA, Philippines — Two police officers are facing criminal and administrative complaints following the escape of 13 detainees from the Caloocan City police detention facility on Thursday morning, police said.

“Mayroon silang evasion through negligence, i-pa-file namin iyon. They will be facing criminal charge. After ma-i-file namin yung criminal charge na iyon, susunod namin iyong administrative case nila,” Caloocan police chief Colonel Dario Menor told reporters in an interview at the city police station when asked about the liability of the lawmen.

(They have evasion through negligence, we will file the cases. They will be facing a criminal charge. After we file that criminal charge, they will face administrative charge.)

“Dalawa yung nakabantay kagabi (Two people were guarding the detainees last night.),” he added.

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Earlier, 13 detainees escaped the Custodial Facility Unit Extension of Caloocan City Hall through a hole that they made on the wall of the facility.

In an initial probe, Menor said other detainees caught the escapees using concrete nails to make a hole on the layers of the cell wall.

“In the course of the investigation, mayroon iyong mga concrete nails kasi may mga pako, kasi dating bodega iyon. Iyong kinapitalize nila na concrete nails, iyon iyong inunti pinaunti nila na i-break, iyong layers ng concrete,” he said.

(In the course of the investigation, there are concrete nails because the facility was once a storeroom. They capitalized on concrete nails which they used to break the layers of concrete.)

As of 8 a.m. this Thursday, Menor said one out of 13 were already recaptured by law enforcers. Pursuit operations are ongoing to track down other escapees, he added.

EDV