Mandurriao jailbird back in turf
Back to where he belongs.
Almost a week after bolting his prison cell, a suspected drug pusher was rearrested early morning of yesterday at Brgy. San Roque, Jaro, Iloilo City.
Members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region VI collared Robert Baltazar alias Alog, 29, of Brgy. Taft North, Mandurriao district.
According to PDEA regional director Paul Ledesma, they traced Baltazar’s lair with the help of Leganes Police Station.
Baltazar is facing rape charge in Leganes, Iloilo.
“Leganes PNP has knowledge about the suspect’s known associates. From there, we conducted surveillance on his friends until we were brought to a shanty near the barangay hall,” Ledesma narrated.
In this shanty, Baltazar’s friends allegedly brought some clothes and food stuff.
The shanty owner is yet to be identified.
To note, it was at around 4:00 p.m. of February 16 when Mandurriao cops that one of their six inmates was no longer behind bars.
Mandurriao PNP chief Chief Insp. Conrado Garganillo said that they just arrived from a hot pursuit operation against suspects ho held-up a couple in Guzman St. when they discovered Baltazar’s disappearance.
The irony of it was that it was Baltazar’s fellow prisoners were the ones who called out and informed them that the jailbird was nowhere to be found.
The duty jailer, PO2 Igmedio Cristobal, claimed that he was up but did not notice Baltazar’s action.
Initially, Garganillo said that the jail’s padlock could be forced opened even without the use of a key.
But before the suspected drug pusher’s escape, the Mandurriao PNP chief claimed that he did not receive any report or complaint from duty jailguards that the padlock was defective.
Lock picked
But in an interview after his arrest, Baltazar claimed that the lock was not defective.
Instead, he claimed that he saw a wire and used it to lock picked the padlock.
Baltazar also claimed that he alone planned his escape because he could not take the accusations against him.
“’Yung binibingtang nila sa aking kaso...hindi naman ako nagbebenta ng bato. Hindi ko naman ginawa
Binuksan ko yung lock. Gumamit po ako ng alambre. Pumunta ako sa likod. Tsaka ako ang nagbukas ng gate,” he said.
To note, Baltazar was arrested last February 12 during a buy bust operation at Brgy. Taft North, Mandurriao.
Four days later, he escaped from detention.
PDEA vs. Mandurriao cops
Even with the arrest of Baltazar, Ledesma said that they are still bent on filing appropriate criminal and/or administrative charges against Mandurriao cops who were responsible for the suspect’s arrest.
But Ledesma said that PDEA’s legal counsel, Atty. Ronnie Delicana, is still studying what specific charges and who will be charged.
Earlier, the Iloilo City Police Office relieved Cristobal from his post pending investigation on his possible lapses.
