'Executed' inmate died wanting to see his mother
Dante Joaquin's last days were not like any other days for while he would normally keep to himself and appeared contented to literally hang on to the prison bars, the past three days prior to his violent death was marked with extreme depression and anxiety.
Or so, fellow inmates said when asked by The News Today (TNT) on Joaquin's physical condition.
A detainee of Selda Kuatro of the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center (IRC), Joaquin was known to be under medication but of late, refused at times to drink his prescription. He was always on guard for someone supposedly out to kill him, reason why other cell mates would be extra patient to him.
The day he was 'executed' by six provincial guards following his escape try, Kidnapping for Ransom suspect Edgar Sorsano was among those who last exchanged words with him. Minutes before he made the sudden dash for freedom, Sorsano told TNT that he invited Joaquin to sit next to him in the mess hall. Lunch consisted of rice and bihon with Sorsano saying the conversation went one-way as Joaquin merely listened to him talk.
Sorsano decided to be extra friendly to Joaquin after seeing him cry.
"Ginahulat niya nga maabot si nanay niya te wala bala kaabot. Naghibi siya sa kilid," Sorsano said.
Within minutes, Joaquin who was then in the line with his food tray suddenly threw everything on the side and ran. Two other inmates Renato Yap and Alberto Desilao attempted to stop him and ran after him but after seeing their friend already out of the main building, the duo halted fearing for their own safety as well.
The more senior of the nine hundred inmates then ordered the rest of the group to go back to their cells knowing that the series of shots fired which lasted at least 5 minutes took the life of their friend.
Joaquin was described to be a "good inmate" who kept to himself and caused no trouble to anybody. He was never violent, "tam-an gani ang kulba niya sa bisan sin-o," another KFR suspect Jonathan Poblacion shared.
Meantime, all is 'well' inside the IRC even if the detainees reached by TNT similarly shared sadness over the fate of Joaquin. Asked on the veracity of supposed jail break planned, Poblacion shrugged off the assertion saying the news does not surprise them anymore.
"Pirme lang man na iya nga kuno gaplano kami mag-jailbreak. Wala gid na iya," he ended.