Cotabato governor orders probe on hostage drama

KIDAPAWAN CITY: Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza of North Cotabato has ordered a probe on Monday’s hostage taking of a jail guard by inmates at the provincial penitentiary at Barangay Amas here, even as she expressed disgust over an alleged cover-up of the incident by the facility’s officials.

Leaders of 834 inmates, complaining of lack of food supply and alleged “sexual advances” on female visitors by male jail guards, hogtied on Monday Senior Jail Officer 3 Samuel Sunico and freed him four hours later after journalists and emissaries of the governor arrived to listen to their grievances.