6 inmates escape from Misamis Oriental jail

CAGAYAN DE ORO City, Philippines—Six inmates convicted of various crimes escaped from the Misamis Oriental provincial jail here Tuesday but authorities recaptured two of them in the ensuing manhunt.

Dominador Tagarda, jail officer in charge, said the inmates broke out of prison amid heavy rains by climbing into the ceiling and out to the roof around 2 a.m.

Two of them, identified as Loreto Montenola and Rene Boy Samoramos, were seized by pursuing prison guards and police authorities while trying to hide under the stairs of the Provincial Engineer’s Office.

Still being hunted down were Junie Patalona, Richard Tabora, Manuel Saguinlaw and Jeffrey Jandaya, whose specific cases were not provided to reporters.

Tagarda said that based on investigation, the plan to escape was hatched “on the spot.”

A trustee of the prison backed Tagarda’s claim saying more inmates would have escaped if it was planned long ago.

The provincial jail, which has been built to accommodate 200 prisoners, houses 318 convicts waiting for transfer to the Davao Penal Farm in Davao del Norte.