1of 10 Mandaluyong jail escapees surrenders

MANILA, Philippines— One of the 10 detainees who escaped from a temporary detention cell of the Mandaluyong police on Tuesday before noon surrendered early Wednesday morning, radio reports said.

Valentino Bianan yielded to police around 12: 30 a.m., bringing to nine the number of escapees now being hunted by authorities.

Bianan said he did not plan to bolt jail, but when he saw other detainees fleeing after the steel bars has been sawed off he was lured to join them.  He stayed at his aunt house for a rest before deciding to turn himself up to the Mandaluyong police.

The jailbreak was discovered in the afternoon when some policemen noticed that a portion of the steel bars had been destroyed and 10 out of 28 detainees were missing, Senior Superintendent  Armando Bolalin, Mandaluyong police chief, said.

The escapees were facing various charges including theft, robbery and illegal drugs.

“They took advantage of the visiting hour which starts at 11 a.m. when the station was most crowded,” the police chief said.

“(Sawing off the bars) is something that you can’t do in one hour so it must have be planned,” he said.

Bolalin said he had already formed three teams to hunt down the nine fugitives.

The detention cell is adjacent to the room of the Mandaluyong police’s criminal investigation unit.