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DIGOS CITY — A five-year-old girl and a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) officer from the Digos City District Jail-Male Dormitory were injured in over an hour-long hostage drama on Sunday, October 20, 2024.
The hostage-takers were reported to be three inmates: alias John, charged with murder; alias Sho, charged with frustrated murder; and alias Boy, who is facing a homicide charge.
Lawyer JSupt. Len John Bernal, the warden of the District Jail, clarified to the media on Sunday afternoon that the two child victims were the daughters, not nieces, contrary to earlier reports, of an inmate who was visiting at the time.
The children were held hostage by the three inmates using improvised weapons.
Bernal explained that the negotiations lasted for over an hour, during which the hostage-takers demanded to be transported to a barangay in Kiblawan. The situation escalated to violence, prompting the BJMP, Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat), and police to take action and rescue the children.
The injured BJMP officer was reportedly the first to take action to neutralize the suspects.
In a later report, it was confirmed that the injured child was in stable condition.
According to information gathered by SuperBalita Davao, at around noon, personnel at the Digos City District Jail were alarmed when they saw on a closed-circuit television (CCTV) monitor that three inmates were holding two children hostage.
The jail guards quickly responded, leading to a tense situation.
No media personnel were allowed inside, but based on SuperBalita Davao’s follow-up from the authorities, it was confirmed that the two children were being held and were already bleeding.
It was also learned that the two children were visiting with their family when they were suddenly grabbed and taken hostage by the three men.
The three men, identified as members of the B’laan tribe, had been arrested in successive operations by authorities in a remote area of Davao del Sur.
The prisoners reportedly demanded to be released in exchange for freeing the children.
The tense situation inside the Digos City District Jail lasted for nearly two hours, during which swift negotiations by authorities led to the safe rescue of the children.
At around 2:25 p.m., a vehicle was seen quickly leaving the Digos City District Jail, carrying one of the children, who was visibly bleeding and believed to be on the way to the hospital. JRN,JPC