Davide: Jailbreak won’t happen in prov’l jail

THE jailbreak that occurred in North Cotabato last Jan. 4 is unlikely to happen at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), said Gov. Hilario Davide III.

However, Davide said the Provincial Government, which runs the prison facility, should not be complacent.

“We have to take measures (to prevent such an incident),” he told reporters yesterday.

The governor assured that tight security measures are being implemented in the jail, which houses nearly 3,000 inmates.

“We just have to be vigilant and watchful of our security measures. We cannot be complacent. We have to take measures,” he said.

Some 158 inmates escaped in the biggest jailbreak recorded in the country after suspected heavily armed Moro rebels stormed the North Cotabato District Jail in Kidapawan City last Wednesday.

More than 100 gunmen attacked the prison facility before dawn.

Two days later, authorities recaptured 50 of the 158 inmates.

During the pursuit operations, however, five inmates, one guard, and one village official were killed.

The jail houses 1,511 inmates, including rebels facing murder charges for a series of bombings in the province, officials said.

It was the third attack on the provincial jail facility since 2007. GMD