After the massive devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name-Haiyan), half of the detainees who escaped from flooded detention cells had finally returned to the custody of Leyte local authorities.
With approximately 600 detainees situated at Leyte Provincial Jail, only half of them returned after helping their respective families deal with the typhoon’s aftermath.
Strong winds shred the roof of the prison cells, where in detainees currently on trial are being housed , while rushed flowing of water from mountainous part of the area sent flash floods that demolished the coastal town of Palo, Leyte.
According to Prison Guard Fidencio Abrea, he told the Arm Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel that detainees escaped as head-high water forced them to mount unto the prison grills.
The prison guard said, 251 prisoners returned and they were now being housed in the portion of the prison that was affected with partial damage. The primary concern of the returnees interviewed by AFP after escaping was to ensure the condition of their family and loved ones, but escaped prisoners returned eventually for them not to ruin their chances of being dismissed from their pending cases on trial.
“I returned because I want my freedom to be legal,” said Renato Comora, 47, who is on trial for murder. Comora said he initially went to his wife and six children in the town of Dulag about 30 kilometers (18 miles) away.
“My family is OK, there are no casualties but my house is totally destroyed,” he said inside the prison compound as other inmates milled around or were cooking on soot-blackened pots using firewood.
“I just wanted to make sure that my family was safe. After that, I returned on my own because I don’t want to live the life of a fugitive”, Mr. Comora stated.
