The Police Station 9 (PS9) inmate who escaped last week voluntarily surrendered to police last Sunday. PS9 commander, Police Lieutenant Jonito Pastrana, said Gabriel Libo-on surrendered to police after authorities gathered information as to his whereabouts, along with negotiations with the suspect’s family.
The law enforcement official said they managed to track down Libo-on, who was hiding in Manapla. Once back in police custody, the escapee said he missed his family after claiming they had not visited him for days.
Libo-on revealed he escaped when the duty jailer, Police Staff Sergeant Jose Miguel Rogacion, left his post to buy food, while the desk officer was handling a visiting client. The duty jailer was initially detained following the escape but was later released by the city prosecutor and is currently facing administrative charges.
According to an earlier report, Pastrana said the suspect escaped by unlocking the cell door’s padlock with a barbecue stick.
The incident was the second jail break this month following an earlier escape from Police Station 3 in Barangay Mandalagan involving four detainees.
The escapees, Ely Lorence Sazon, Sunny Capa, Michael Peñoso, and Jeffrey Elangos, sawed through the bars of their cell.
Sazon told Watchmen Daily Journal, once through the bars, he noticed the desk officer and the duty jailer were both asleep, allowing all four to escape through the backdoor.
The four have since surrendered and are back in police custody.
Following the incident, the jail cell in question has since been repaired and is now being used again by the detainees.
The station also adopted stricter security protocols on visitors./DGB, WDJ