Tagarda blames drugs for Misor jail hostage-taking
Nitz Arancon2 min read
By NITZ ARANCON
and LITO RULONACorrespondents
MISAMIS Oriental jail warden Dominador Tagarda yesterday said the inmate who took a political detainee hostage on Sunday was allegedly a drug user who started behaving differently apparently because he stopped getting a supply of illegal drugs inside the provincial jail.
Tagarda said this even as Misamis Oriental Gov. Vincente Yevgeny Emano ordered provincial jailers to exert more effort to avoid a repeat of the hostage crisis and to ensure that illegal drugs would not be sneaked into the capitolun prison facility.
Tagarda said even Emano was convinced that the slain inmate Jomar Itong had been going through a “withdrawal” when he took political detainee Vicente Libona hostage at around 8 am Sunday.
Tagarda said jailers have started a “Katok Silda” campaign to prevent illegal drugs from getting into the provincial jail.
“Ma-o na ang among pagto-o nga tungod kay wala nay illegal drugs nga nakasulod sa atong mga silda, posibli kini ang hinongdan nga natolibagbag ang otok niadtong suspect, ug iyang gi-hostage ang iyang kaubang inmate,” said Tagarda.
He added: “Gusto niya makita ang iyang ginikanan. Gihatagan namo siya sa iyang gipangayo. Nag-hallucinate na siya sa akong tan-aw. Gipasanginlan pud daw siya nga nanglili sa mga babae nga inmates.”
Tagarda said Itong had a record of being hooked on drugs. The inmate was jailed because he took hostages in Jasaan.
“Gapangita siguro siya og drugs diha sa sulod mao to nga nag-hallucinate na siya,” he said.
Emano ordered Tagarda and other jailers to double their efforts and be more vigilant, saying that while he was saddened that Itong was killed by the police, he also felt relieved because he would be held accountable by the National Democratic Front (NDF) if something bad happened to Libona.
“Mas dako gyud unta ang akong tulogabon sa NDF kon napatay pa ni Itong si Vicente Libona,” said Emano.
“Istriktohan nato ang seguridad diha sa sulod para wala na poy’ susamang hitabo niadtong Dominggo. Kinahanglan ang doble nga pagbantay karon,” Emano said.
Emano said the hostage crisis has also prompted the capitol to speed up plans to build a new provincial jail in one of the province’s towns.
Chief Insp. Maricris Mulat said police did not want Itong killed but the hostage taker left them with no choice.
“Namiligro na man ang kinabuhi sa hostage kay among nakita nga duna nay dugo ang iyang dughan tungod sa icepick nga gigamit sa maong suspect. Ma-o to nga napogos ang mga pulis,” Mulat said.
Mulat said police exhausted all options for three hours but Itong did not give up.
Mulat said police shot Itong’s hand first in the hope of immobilizing him but he was determined to kill Libona, prompting law enforcers to fire more shots.