Inmates who died in Paranaque jail blast ‘probably planned to escape’

Photo by Rappler

A grenade explosion in Paranaque City jail killed 10 inmates on Thursday evening, in what could have been an escape attempt gone wrong according to the city’s police chief.

Senior Supt. Jose Carumba, Parañaque police chief, said that they are investigating whether or not the 10 inmates who died in the blast had actually tried to escape from prison by first seeking a dialogue with the warden, Supt. Gerald Bantag, regarding their scheduled cell transfer.


Carumba said the prisoners had set a meeting with the warden at eight p.m. inside the warden’s office.  Bantag claimed that he was brushing his teeth inside the near bathroom when he heard a commotion. The inmates then started firing at him and he fired back. 

“Bantag said he heard a gunshot which prompted him to grab his 9-mm pistol. He said the inmates kept firing at him, so he kept firing back as he tried to make his way out of his office. It was then that the grenade exploded,” said Carumba.

The explosion killed all ten of the inmates -—Waren Manampen, Ronald Domdom, Rodel Domdom, Danilo Pineda, Joseph Villasor, Oliver Sarreal, Jeremy Flores and Jonathan Ilas–died on the spot, said Carumba. Jacky Huang and Yonghan Cai, Chinese nationals who were both imprisoned for violating the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, were rushed to the nearby Ospital ng Parañaque but were declared dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, Bantag suffered injury on his left leg and face caused by shrapnel from the blast, the chief of police added. MJM

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Source: Inquirer

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