A former policeman on trial for murder in the Philippines escaped from jail on Thursday, then embarrassed authorities further by speaking to media outlets over the phone.
Ex-police superintendent Cezar Mancao, charged with murder over the 2000 killings of a well-known publicist and his driver, casually walked out of a detention centre in Manila with the help of prison wardens, authorities said.
“His escape is a big slap to the bureau’s face,” National Bureau of Investigation director Nonnatus Rojas told reporters after confirming the escape.
The NBI is the investigative arm of the justice department, in whose supposedly heavily secured facility Mancao was held.
Rojas said two guards who apparently let Mancao escape had been detained.
Footage from a security camera showed Mancao calmly leaving his cell before dawn carrying a bag containing his personal belongings, according to Rojas.
Mancao, who has been in jail since 2009, then spoke with national television and radio stations to explain that he fled because he feared he would be killed in detention.