CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – At least 13 detainees, mostly top drug personalities in the region, bolted their cells at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency – Central Luzon detention facility shortly after midnight Sunday, sources at the PDEA said.
This developed as PDEA regional director Juvenal Azurin ordered a massive manhunt against the fleeing inmates as he sought the assistance of the local police for possible capture of the escapees.
Azurin, in a meeting with PDEA personnel, urged personnel to communicate with the families and relatives of the inmates for them to persuade and appeal for surrender before the “police catch up on them.”
“Pakiusapan ang mga pamilya na pasukuin na lang sa PDEA,” Azurin told PDEA rank and file who were present during emergency conference.
The jailbreak, PDEA insider said was discovered by duty guard past 1 a.m. Sunday during routine inspection. The inmates cut one of the bar of the cell which was made as their access in going out of the detention facility.
PDEA detention facility is situated within the regional headquarters of the Police Regional Office 3 (PDEA3).
Most of the escapees, sources said were newly detained following their arrest over the weekend. One of the inmates who joined in the jailbreak is a detainee of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (RAID) which shared jail facility with PDEA.
Azuring ordered the booting-out of the duty jail guard, whose identity was not mentioned pending result of an in-depth investigation.
PDEA jail facility can only accommodate 10-15 inmates at a time.