Ambush near provincial jail: 2 jail guards, inmate killed

CEBU, Philippines — Two jail guards and a high-profile inmate of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), who were on their way to the court, were shot dead by at least four unidentified assailants in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City yesterday morning.

The police identified the victims as Provincial Guards 1 Bernie Bayutas and Joel Teves, and inmate Jerryfer Perigrino.

The team from the Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) recovered at least 19 empty shells of M14 armalite and .45 caliber pistol.

Witnesses in the area said that they heard several gunshots and saw the white CPDRC van used in ferrying inmates to court houses crashed into a parked motorcycle.

Chief Inspector Eduard Sanchez of the Guadalupe Police Station said that the assailants, who were on board motorcycles, tailed the van from the CPDRC and fired shots as the vehicle made a turn towards Unit 5, Oprra, Barangay Kalunasan.

CCTV’S turned off

Interestingly, two closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras of the Kalunasan barangay hall which would have captured the tailing and the escape of the assailants were simultaneously turned off around 2:43 a.m. yesterday.

These were turned back on at 9:37 a.m., roughly about 15 minutes after the shooting incident.

CCTV channels 8 gives a view to a bridge going to Guadalupe, while channel 9 would capture the CPDRC entrance.

A barangay staff member, who requested anonymity, said the turning off of the CCTV cameras was "unusual" since these cameras run 24/7.

CPDRC jail warden and retired police general Reynaldo Valmoria said they are looking into Perigrino’s drug ties as the main motive in the killing.

Valmoria said that Perigrino, who is facing an illegal drugs case some time ago and was able to complete jail time, was rearrested for another drug case. He is serving his second term in jail.

Two months ago, during a selective inspection inside his cell in search for contrabands, Perigrino reportedly yielded 1.53 grams of suspected shabu.

During that operation, Perigrino reportedly told Valmoria and the chief of the Provincial Intelligence Branch of the Cebu Provincial Police Office that it was Alvaro "Barok" Alvaro, a “big shot” drug lord and high-profile inmate, is behind the proliferation of shabu inside the jail facility.

“During that time when we conducted the interrogation, one of (the things iya) gi-divulge was that Barok was involved in the drug trade inside the jail,” Valmoria said.

Knowing Barok’s background, he reportedly has the machinery to hire gunmen, Valmoria said.

He, however, said they will be conducting further validation on the lead.

Valmoria also denied there was special treatment given to Perigrino, as he was the only one on board the van for court duties.

He said that Perigrino was supposed to be presented in court last Wednesday but did not make it to the allotted time and the hearing was rescheduled for 9 a.m. yesterday.

Jail guards probed

Cebu Provincial Governor Hilario Davide III, who arrived at the crime scene before noon, said that the two jail guards were also monitored for allegations that they are also involved in the illegal drug trade inside the jail facility.

“Hangtod nga nay shabu diha, naa gyu'y involvement ang jail guards. But, I don't want to make that conclusion right now. We will wait for the report of the warden,” Davide said.

Davide had directed the warden to look into the case and plan preventive measures to avoid a repetition of the incident.

Valmoria confirmed this and said that a complaint is currently lodged in the Committee on Discipline and Investigation.

Teves was investigated by the Committee on Discipline and Investigation (CODI) in 2017 and was suspended for a month along with eleven others in October 2017.

“There are some CPDRC personnel who are involved in the commission of acts prejudicial to the interest of the provincial government, which may constitute to misconduct of neglect of duty,” Davide explained last year when asked about the reason behind the action.

He added said that the preventive suspension was necessary to prevent any attempt to alter or destroy pieces of evidence against the suspended employees.

The governor had said at the height of the investigation that no contraband can get inside the facility without the assistance from someone inside CPDRC.

The FREEMAN tried to reach two lawyers who are part of the CODI to verify what were the exact charges against Teves and if Bayutas had any offense records but to no avail.

Valmoria also said that the family of the two jail guards, who had served the jail facility for more than 15 years, will receive full benefits, as they were killed in line to their duty.

He said they will be requesting for additional personnel from the police and convene all provincial guards for a briefing tomorrow. (FREEMAN)