Former Maguindanao provincial police director Superintendent Piang Adam, who escaped from the provincial jail here Tuesday, is cousin to both the police director of Sultan Kudarat and the jail guard who allegedly helped him escape.
Sources pointed out Adam is a cousin of provincial police director Senior Superintendent Suharto Teng Tocao and jail guard Taha Kadalum, Adam’s custodian at the provincial jail.
Adam, implicated but not formally indicted in the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao in November last year, escaped from the supposedly well-guarded facility, with officials at a loss on how he managed to bolt jail.
Malacañang directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to hunt down Adam and investigate the incident.
Deputy presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo said action must be taken against those involved in the escape.
“Our law enforcers and jail authorities should have learned (their lesson). That (escape of Adam) was unfortunate. It’s no secret we’ve had breakouts in the past,” Saludo said.
Saludo also dismissed reports attributing the escape to the negligence of officials who were busy preparing for the visit of President Arroyo to the province last Wednesday.
“This is speculation. I’m sure that they’re looking into the reasons for it. This is one of the usual speculative remarks so we’ll just leave the investigating authorities to really pin down the reason,” Saludo said.
PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa ordered tighter security on all jail facilities, particularly those having custody of high-value prisoners.
Verzosa also called for a review of prison security procedures.
“A review of security systems and procedures is necessary to insure fidelity in the custody of detainees in our provincial, city and municipal jails,” Verzosa said.
The PNP ordered an investigation on how Adam managed to escape, pointing out the possibility that the retired police official may have been sprung by his former subordinates, perhaps even with the help of the jail guards.
Regional police officials led by Chief Superintendent Josefino Cataluna said Adam was reported missing on Wednesday, or a day after the supposed escape occurred.
He said the escape was reported by Kadalum, the jail guard who was assigned to accompany Adam to his detention cell.
Adam was last seen entering his detention cell at 4 p.m. Tuesday and Kadalum reported the disappearance the following day.
Tocao, for his part, did not mention his relationship with Adam but ordered a massive manhunt for the recapture of the former police official.
“We are now doing a hot-pursuit and close monitoring in the area or the reported location of Adam, but for now we can not divulge yet his whereabouts,” Tocao said.
He said charges of infidelity in the custody of prisoner were filed yesterday against Kadalum before the provincial prosecutor’s office.
Tocao said investigators are also studying the filing of criminal or administrative charges against all the guards present during the jailbreak.
He said Sultan Kudarat Provincial Jail warden Rolando Ampuyas is also being investigated for possible administrative lapses that helped in Adam’s escape.
Investigators led by Senior Inspector Jose Condesa of the provincial Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said their initial investigation revealed that Adam escaped early Wednesday.
Condesa said a witness saw how Adam was able to bolt from the jail with help from his son Teng, and the two rode a motorcycle that passed through the front gate of the provincial jail.
“So that is why we are filing the charges against all the jail guards who were on duty at the time of the escape,” Condesa said.
The missing link
Adam is facing charges of illegal possession of firearms, explosives and ammunition before the municipal trial court of President Quirino town in the province and in Tacurong City regional trial court.
Adam was among four police officials accused of fabricating a police report to make it appear that the 104 high-powered firearms that went missing were among those destroyed by a fire that razed the police armory in Shariff Aguak in 2008.
Adam is also facing charges of malversation for his failure to account for 84 assorted firearms he received when he was still Maguindanao provincial police director. The missing firearms are valued at P2.088 million.
Police said some of the missing firearms turned up among those seized from the properties owned by the Ampatuan family by the military during search operations following the Nov. 23 massacre.
The Ampatuans were tagged for the gruesome carnage of 57 people in what has been described as the worst pre-election related violent incident in the country’s history.
Although Adam was not directly charged in the massacre, the former Maguindanao police director was suspected to have been the source of the firearms that were used in the killings.
Sources also claimed Adam could be the “missing link” in finding out who was the real mastermind.
Adam was arrested in the province last December when the military raided his home and seized several high-powered firearms and explosives.
Shortly after Adam was arrested and taken into custody, officials in the province noted the kinship of the former police official with the provincial police chief.
“From the start something was already wrong. Adam, who was charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives, was placed under the custody of Kadalum and was enjoying very special treatment from the management of the provincial jail,” a senior police official revealed.
Local officials in Maguindanao expressed concern over Adam’s escape from the Sultan Kudarat provincial jail, which is under the jurisdiction of Gov. Suharto Mangudadatu, cousin of Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu whose wife was among the 57 victims of the massacre.
On the other hand, Kadalum, the jail guard who was assigned to guard his cousin Adam, was also implicated in the escape of suspected drug trafficker Nasser Kamsa from prison five years ago.
Kadalum was also suspected of freeing a suspected gun-for-hire identified as a certain Rolando several years ago.
Concerned police officials in the province called on the PNP in Manila to come to Sultan Kudarat and investigate the security lapses that led to the escape of Adam.
Adam, according to some witnesses, was being treated as a “guest” of the provincial jail and not as an ordinary detainee.
“The investigation should be impartial,” the source said.
PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said they would verify with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) if Adam has filed a certificate of candidacy for mayor in Pandag town in Maguindanao.
“We might file disqualification against him,” Espina said.
Adam is reportedly running for mayor of Pandag in the May 10 elections against his wife Jocelyn. -With Marvin Sy, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Rose Tamayo-Tesoro - By John Unson (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)
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