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GENERAL SANTOS CITY: Chief Supt. Felizerdo Serapio
Jr., police director for Central Mindanao, ordered the immediate
relief of a police station chief and a senior police officer here
after four detainees escaped from the station’s detention cell on
Thursday.
“They [police officers] will be
dealt with accordingly for negligence of duty and command
responsibility,” Serapio said.
He said, the inmates sawed off
the bar using a greasy guitar string. After bending it, they slipped
out of the small opening, and managed to step out unnoticed.
Sacked were Insp. Resty Valmores,
Bula Police Station 6 chief, and Senior Police Officer 4 Carlos
Belmonte, the desk officer and guard on duty.
Teking Usman, 38, a resident of
Mabini Bagua, Cotabato City, led the escapees. Usman is a notorious
leader of a “Bukas Kotse” syndicate and was about to be
transferred to the city jail for a string of car-theft cases in the
region.
Other escapees were Carlos
Cabrido Besana, 34, a resident of Block 4, Zone 2C, Bula, who was
charged with direct assault of a person in authority, scandal with
grave threats; Roberto J. Nadela, a suspected drug pusher; and Erwin
M. Matarum, a mentally deranged person who was turned over for
police custody by his parents.
Serapio ordered Valmorez and
Belmonte to lead the pursuing team against the fugitives and gave
them a week to bring the escapees back. Belmonte will be retiring
from the police service early next year.
Reports said the 33 other police
officers were out on patrol at the time to enforce the “kap-kap
bakal” operation as directed by Bautista.
“The short power interruption
at early dawn could have given them the opportunity to flee,”
Bautista said.
Serapio ordered the police to
tighten their watch and the renovation of every police detention
cell in the city. “The iron bars are old and rusty and they need
to be replaced,” he added.
Senior Insp. Alex Sarabia, then
Makar Wharf Police Station chief, will take over the command from
Balmores as new station chief.
 --Isagani
Palma
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