Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 10) — The mother of missing Bilibid inmate Michael Cataroja bared that she wanted her son to surrender to Senator Raffy Tulfo, Bureau of Corrections chief Gregorio Catapang told a House hearing on Thursday.
\”There is a development, because right now there is a possibility that PDL Cataroja is still alive. Even his mother is telling us she wants her son to surrender to Raffy Tulfo,\” Catapang said.
Cataroja was reported missing on July 15, prompting authorities to search for him to determine if he’s still alive. BuCor had to seek help from the Philippine Coast Guard and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to locate him.
During their search, trained dogs went to the direction of a septic tank inside the maximum security compound of the national penitentiary where a bone was retrieved.
But the NBI medico-legal division pointed out in the hearing that the bone is not of a human but of a chicken. Catapang believed Cataroja had escaped.
Committee on Justice chairperson Juliet Ferrer, meanwhile, questioned why BuCor officials failed to disclose that there was a missing inmate during its July 25 hearing.
\”I was wondering why we were not informed at that time. Cause that’s already the issue that we’re talking about during that time,\” Ferrer said.
\”Parang tinago ninyo ba? Alam ninyo pala may problema sa Bilibid, bakit hindi ninyo ininform ang committee?\” she added.
[Translation: Did you hide it? You know there is a problem with Bilibid, why didn’t you inform the committee?]
