2 prisoners bolt Pangasinan provincial jail

LINGAYEN, Philippines – Two prisoners escaped from the Pangasinan provincial jail here on Monday morning but one of them was arrested seven hours later in San Carlos City, a jail official said.

Rolando Diaz, provincial warden, said Rogelio Garcia, 41, and Ronnie Zarate, 25, punched a prison guard manning the facility’s main gate and escaped at 6 a.m. on Monday.

Reports said Garcia and Zarate boarded a Baguio City-bound passenger van parked at the town plaza fronting the provincial jail.

Garcia, a resident of Barangay (village) San Miguel in Calasiao town, was detained for illegal sale of firearms, while Zarate, a resident of Barangay Ambunao, also in Calasiao, was detained for car theft.

Garcia, however, was arrested at 1 p.m. in San Carlos City, some 24 kilometers from Lingayen.

The van driver, Remar Eroza, told investigators that Garcia and Zarate hired his van to bring them to Tarlac City but he noticed that the two men were uneasy and acting strangely during the trip. This prompted him to bring the vehicle to a police station when they reached San Carlos City.

Policemen nabbed Garcia as he and Zarate ran after getting out of the van.

A team of policemen was hunting Zarate as of 4 p.m. SFM/ABC