WHAT WENT BEFORE: North Cotabato jailbreaks

At least five daring escapes had been recorded previously at the provincial jail in Kidapawan, North Cotabato province.

Last October, five children escaped by destroying the iron bars of their cell in the compound near the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology at Barangay Amas.

In December 2013, six detainees sawed off the iron grills on a window cell and fled.

In June 2009, heavily armed men stormed the facility and set free several prisoners.

In March 2009, three high-profile inmates, including a suspected bomber, bolted out of the jail. One of the inmates was Muhalidin Sulaik Hassan who had been linked to a 2007 mall bombing that left one person dead.

In February 2007, 49 inmates escaped after alleged Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels mounted a lightning rescue operation to free three members linked to a spate of bomb attacks in Central Mindanao.

In November 2010, the jail warden urged the transfer of maximum-security inmates after numerous jailbreaks to prevent any more such escapes. —INQUIRER RESEARCH

Source: Inquirer Archives