An inmate in Ifugao who is set to be transferred to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City torched his cell last Monday, killing two detainees and injuring seven others, the police said Thursday.
Investigation showed that Floriano Tayaban, a convicted rapist, poured kerosene into his then sleeping companions and their belongings before setting them aflame, according to Superintendent Dave Lim-Mong of the Ifugao police.
Killed in the arson incident were Mamao Malingay and Efren Lindawan, Lim-Ong said.
Two of the seven injured — Willy Sairez and Joel Amado — were in critical condition, while the rest — Nestor Moog, Anthony Dela Cruz, Mario Budihon, Lucas Caclini, and Robert Madayag — had been declared out of danger at the Ifugao General Hospital.
Eleven other inmates who shared the cell with the culprit were unharmed, Lim-Ong said. Tayaban was also unhurt after he hid in the cell’s comfort room.
Police said Tayaban had been collecting the kerosene from a torch the jail facility uses every time there is a power outage in the village.
Investigators are studying whether the incident was connected to the suspect’s apparent reluctance to be transferred to NBP.
Authorities said Tayaban had previously spent time at the NBP after being found guilty of murder.
“Kase aborido na itong suspect. Actually, parang ayaw niya atang bumalik dun [sa NBP]. Nung malaman niyang may byahe siya [pabalik], ayun mayroong nahahalatang kakaiba sa kilos na parang gustong tumakas," Lim-Mong said.
(The suspect is upset. It seems like he doesn’t want to be moved back to NBP. When he learned that he will be transferred there, he started acting strange like he wanted to escape.)
After Tayaban was convicted of rape, Judge Joseph Baguilat of the Lagawe, Ifugao Regional Trial Court Branch 14 ordered his transfer to Metro Manila. - KBK
