‘Jail guards should be on their watch or lose job’

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has recommended the dismissal of jail guards of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) involved in the escape of inmates.

Garcia, in her regular news conference, said she asked the committee on discipline and investigation to investigate the jail guards involved in the escape of two inmates in two separate incidents last year and this month.

Garcia said the two incidents follow a pattern.

Last Jan. 11, a CPDRC inmate charged with murder escaped after a court hearing in Bogo City, northern Cebu.

Medellin police said inmate Kim Invento managed to convince jail escort Felix Betasalo to allow him to visit his father in barangay Lamintak, Medellin town, also in northern Cebu.

The police said Betasalo agreed to escort Invento on board a tricycle.

On their way to barangay Lamintak, Betasalo and the inmate stopped in an eatery to drink soda and Betasalo opened the cuffs on one of Invento’s hands.

The moment he did so, Invento ran towards a mangrove plantation and Betasalo failed to give chase.

On Nov. 28, another inmate escaped after attending a court hearing in Argao town, southern Cebu.

Jojo Gañolon escaped as he together with 20 other inmates had lunch in a carenderia after attending a court hearing.

Gañolon’s handcuffs were also removed so that he could eat comfortably. But when the guards were not looking, he escaped and rode on a waiting motorcycle outside the carenderia.

Garcia said this should serve as a warning to jail guards to be on watch because it will cost them their jobs./correspondent carmel loise matus