Prison guards may be held liable for inmate’s escape—official
New Bilibid Prison. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Prison guards on duty when an inmate of the Maximum Security Compound escaped last Sunday may face criminal and administrative liability, New Bilibid Prison (NBP) Superintendent Richard Schwarzkopf said Wednesday.
READ: Bilibid officials probe ‘escape’ from maximum prison
Schwarzkopf said that as part of due process the prison guards were given 10 days to explain their side on the incident.
He said that on Dec. 15 he issued a memorandum canceling the days off of security personnel in preparation for the influx of visitors to the national penitentiary during Christmas and the New Year.
“Nag red alert tayo. We also added additional security measures to prevent any incident pero nangyari pa rin ito [escape],” Schwarzkopf said.
(We raised [the level] to red alert. We also added additional security measures to prevent any incident but this escape still happened.)
Convicted murder Reynaldo Fuentes Avergonzado escaped Sunday after he scaled the prison wall using a rake tied to a rope.
A manhunt has been launched and the NBP deployed its own tracking team for Avergonzado’s recapture. RAM
READ: Manhunt operation launched against Bilibid escapee
