8 of 17 juvenile detention center escapees found

SECOND CHANCE Operation Second Chance Center, operated by the Cebu City government, is a facility for children in conflict with the law who require rehabilitation. —CEBU DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY — At least eight of the 17 children in conflict with the law (CICL), who escaped from a juvenile detention facility here on Jan. 11,  have been recovered.

In a report released on Thursday, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) said it was still searching for the remaining nine CICL so they could return them to the Operation Second Chance Center (OSCC).

Their parents promised to turn over their children to the OSCC Second if they ever found them.

The eight CICLs recovered by policemen claimed they bolted out of the center to witness the Sinulog Festival on January 15.

Most of the CICLs who escaped on Wednesday were facing illegal drugs and murder charges.

Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, information officer of the CCPO, said they created a tracker team to find the other CICL.

The team included an investigator from the Guadalupe Police Station, a police officer from the Women and Children Protection Desk, and a social worker from the City Social Welfare Office.

Based on their initial investigation, Macatangay said the 17 CICL were about to take their breakfast past 6 a.m. on Wednesday when they suddenly rushed to the facility’s gate and escaped.

Macatangay said the guards could not stop the CICL because there were just too many.

So far, Macatangay said they had not received any information on whether the CICL had complaints regarding the operation of the OSCC.

It was not the first time that CICL escaped from the facility.  In December 2019, six detainees escaped after a riot erupted inside the OSCC.

In April 2022, 20 CICL also escaped from the facility. All the CICL who escaped from the facility were eventually found and returned to the facility.

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