3 IRC inmates flee: Manhunt on as public warned against harboring fugitives
Three murder suspects all considered "armed and dangerous" made a daring escape from the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center (IRC) in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo .
As such, extensive manhunt operations are underway for the trio's recapture as security was tightened anew inside the IRC, 'home' for nearly 1,000 Ilonggos facing murder, rape, drug charges and kidnapping for ransom.
The escapees were identified as Mario Lozada of Ipil, Calinog, Iloilo, accused in a double murder case and fellow murder suspects Mamerto Barranco of Januiay, Iloilo and Vincent Espinosa of Lemery, Iloilo.
The discovery came after the 4 a.m. headcount yesterday (Tuesday) morning with the trio unaccounted for by jail guards inside Selda 58 of the IRC's Area 4 in the second floor.
An IRC insider told The News Today (TNT) the escapees were last seen huddled in usual nighttime talks just about midnight.
It was to be the second escape for Espinosa who also made a dash for freedom years back while confined at the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC). He was the recognized cell leader or "mayor de mayores" of a group of 15 inmates. Twelve other cellmates were immediately secured for questioning relative to the successful escape inside what stands as the region's most expensive and should-have-been most secured jail. All have professed innocence, even surprise, on the successful escape.
Barranco is one of the suspects in the late 1990s killing of a police officer in a dispute after attending the town fiesta in Janiuay. The incident occurred inside a passenger jeepney where Barranco and two others figured in a confrontation that took the life of the fallen cop.
Jail Warden Juan Mabugat told reporters the escape was done after one of the prison bars of Selda 58 was sawed off. It should not have been an easy escape though since the trio had to pass three more main lock-up cell doors that should have been padlocked. And once outside the main building of the detention center, a 15-foot high perimeter fence with barbed wire secures the center as roving and "tower" guards keep watch on a 24-hour basis.
It would also be a long walk for the nearest stop of public transport with the IRC located some three kilometers away from the main highway. Unless earlier advanced arrangements were made for transportation, the escapees have no other means but walk the stretch of Barangay Nanga.
Mabugat acknowledged "human error" on the part of jail guards on duty, the identities of those most liable withheld pending official investigation.
Three teams from the IRC were deployed as back-up was sought from police offices coming from towns where the fugitives are believed to be in hiding. Mabugat expressed confidence on a full recapture even as a warning is out on the public and family members out to coddle the trio.