Kidapawan Jailbreak (2017)
The Kidapawan jailbreak occurred on January 4, 2017, when approximately one hundred armed militants attacked the North Cotabato District Jail in Kidapawan City, Philippines, resulting in the escape of 158 prisoners and the death of a prison guard. The incident lasted around two hours, during which the attackers exchanged gunfire with prison guards, ultimately leading to the chaos that allowed many inmates to flee. The assault raised significant concerns regarding the conditions and security at the jail, which was overpopulated, housing more than 1,500 inmates despite a design capacity of only 300.
Philippine authorities suspected the involvement of militant groups, particularly the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), both of which denied any responsibility. Investigations revealed that high-profile inmates, including drug lord Melvin "Hapon" Casangyao and Esmael "Commander Derby" Nasser, allegedly orchestrated the jailbreak, promising financial rewards and weapons for its success. Following the incident, a manhunt led to the recapture or death of 61 escapees within two weeks, but the masterminds remained at large, prompting the government to offer bounties for their arrest. The event brought to light the urgent need for prison reforms in the region, as highlighted by local officials.
Subject Terms
Kidapawan Jailbreak (2017)
Date: January 4, 2017
Place: Kidapawan, Philippines
Summary
The Kidapawan jailbreak was an armed attack on the North Cotabato District Jail in the city of Kidapawan, Philippines, in which the attackers released 158 prisoners and killed a prison guard. Philippine authorities suspected one of two militant groups, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) or the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), may have been behind the attack, though both groups denied responsibility.
Key Events
- January 4, 2017—Armed militants attack a prison in Kidapawan, Philippines, releasing more than 150 prisoners.
Status
By two weeks after the jailbreak, security forces had recaptured or killed sixty-one of the escaped prisoners, though the suspected ringleaders—Melvin "Hapon" Casangyao and Esmael "Commander Derby" Nasser, both imprisoned for drug offenses—were still at large. The government has offered a bounty of 1 million Philippine pesos (about $20,000) for information leading to the arrest of Casangyao or Nasser, and smaller bounties for any of the other escapees.
The escape highlighted conditions at North Cotabato District Jail (NCDJ), which was built to house 300 inmates but had a prisoner population of over 1,500 at the time of the attack. Shirlyn Macasarte-Villanueva, acting governor of the province of Cotabato, criticized the prison's security in interviews and claimed that, on the night of the escape, only three prison doors had been padlocked. Macasarte-Villanueva has reportedly petitioned the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to construct two more district jails for the North Cotabato area to relieve crowding at the NCDJ.
In-Depth Overview
Kidapawan, with a population of around 140,000, is the capital city of the province of Cotabato on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Home to the country's Moro Muslim minority, the southern Philippines has long been subject to an Islamic insurgency, although a peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been ongoing since 2014.
On January 4, 2017, at around 1:00 a.m. local time, a group of approximately one hundred armed men stormed North Cotabato District Jail in the Barangay Amas section of Kidapawan. The attack lasted for nearly two hours as attackers exchanged fire with prison guards. Police later determined that the attackers' intention was to liberate prisoners occupying two cells reserved for high-profile convicts. During the attack, however, dozens of other prisoners were able to escape the prison in the confusion. One prison guard, Hexel Rey Desibo, and five inmates were killed during the attack, with several others wounded by stray fire. The Sun Star newspaper reported that the prisoners used their beds to create a makeshift ladder that they used to escape out of the back part of the jail. Superintendent Peter Bungat, the provincial jail warden, told reporters that there was a power outage just before the attack, allegedly caused by the attackers, which interfered with prison guards' efforts to control the situation.
In the manhunt that ensued immediately following the attack, additional security forces were called in to assist in the effort, including units of the Philippine National Police and a pair of army infantry battalions. Government officials told reporters they suspected one of the nation's militant Islamic separatist groups had been involved in the attack. Though the government initially suspected MILF, a spokesman for the group, Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Ghadzali Jaafar, issued a statement claiming that MILF was not involved. The government also suspected another Moro separatist group, known as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), though a spokesman calling himself Abu Misry Mama issued a statement claiming that BIFF was not involved in the attack either.
During the ensuing investigation, police found evidence that the attack had been organized by a high-profile inmate, known drug lord Melvin "Hapon" Casangyao, in cooperation with another well-known prisoner, Esmael Nasser, known as "Commander Derby"; both were in jail for drug offenses. According to acting governor Shirlyn Macasarte-Villanueva, Casangyao paid 1 million Philippine pesos to unidentified actors for the jailbreak, with a promise of two M-60 machine guns if it was successful. Nasser is also a suspect in other high-profile crimes, including the 2013 murder of Policarpio Dulay, vice mayor of the nearby city of Kabacan, and a 2014 bombing at the University of Southern Mindanao. Authorities suspect that Nasser is a member of MILF, though the organization has denied any connection.
Also in the wake of the jailbreak, Superintendent Peter Bungat (whose name is also spelled Bongngat) and another senior official at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Senior Superintendent Alberto Balauag, were removed from their posts on the recommendation of Macasarte-Villanueva.
Key Figures
Peter Bungat: Provincial prison warden (superintendent) in Cotabato until his removal following the jailbreak.
Melvin Casangyao: Drug lord believed to have orchestrated the prison break.
Shirlyn Macasarte-Villanueva: Acting governor of Cotabato.
Esmael "Commander Derby" Nasser: Suspected terrorist who helped Casangyao plan the jailbreak.
Bibliography
Drug lord paid P1-M for Kidapawan jailbreak, says gov. (2017, January 12). ABS-CBN. Retrieved from http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/12/17/drug-lord-paid-p1-m-for-kidapawan-jailbreak-says-gov
40 prisoners recaptured; manhunts still on for 100 more. (2017, January 5). SunStar. Retrieved from http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2017/01/06/40-prisoners-recaptured-manhunt-still-100-more-518468
Jannaral, J. I. (2017, January 10). BJMP officials sacked over Kidapawan jail break. The Manila Times. Retrieved from http://www.manilatimes.net/bjmp-officials-sacked-kidapawan-jail-break/306208/
Peralta-Malonzo, T. A., Gita, R. A., Dura, A. P., & Fuerzas, E. E. (2017, January 4). 6 killed as gunmen storm North Cotabato jail. SunStar. Retrieved from http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2017/01/05/6-killed-gunmen-storm-north-cotabato-jail-518265
Rizal, P. C. (2017, January 4). Davao City jail wardens, police in full alert after Kidapawan jail attack. Davao Today. Retrieved from http://davaotoday.com/main/politics/davao-city-jail-wardens-police-in-full-alert-after-kidapawan-jail-attack/
Unson, J. (2017, January 4). Armed men free 158 detainees from North Cotabato jail. Philstar. Retrieved from http://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/01/04/1659542/armed-men-free-158-detainees-north-cotabato-jail