Director Arturo W. Alit, chief of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), relieved Friday Olongapo City District jail warden Chief Inspector Ramon Valientes following the escape of 12 inmates.
In an interview, Alit said he has ordered a strict probe on the jailbreak and he would get for himself the account or statements of all jailguards concerned.
The jailbreak occurred some 25 days before Christmas Day.
Alit ordered a hunt for the escapees. Sources said "some of the escapees have already been captured."
The 12 inmates reportedly escaped from their prison cells despite the tight security imposed by Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) personnel in Barangay Barretto, Olongapo.
A "news blackout" was imposed by Warden Ramon Valiente on the jailbreak.
But according to information gathered by the Manila Bulletin, the 12 inmates who bolted jail are facing serious charges ranging from drug pushing to heinous murder.
The jailbreak allegedly happened around 2:45 Friday morning. The inmates bore a hole in the thick cement wall of their cells and fled.
It was also gathered that not one of the jail guards noticed the jailbreak.
The press people condemned the news blackout imposed by Valiente. (Yul Malicse and Jonas Reyes)
