Cataroja says he escaped Bilibid out of boredom: ‘Walang dalaw eh’

Re-arrested person deprived of liberty (PDL) Michael Cataroja on Tuesday said he escaped the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in July because he was bored and no one was visiting him.

During the hearing of the Senate committee on justice and human rights on Cataroja’s escape from the NBP’s maximum security compound, Senator Francis Tolentino asked the PDL the reason why he did such a thing.

“Sobrang bored lang po. Wala pong dalaw (I was very bored. No one was visiting me),” Cataroja said.

The 25-year-old inmate, who had been detained at the NBP for less than two years due to violation of the Anti-Fencing Law, said he evaded authorities on the morning of July 7 via a garbage truck.

He said he took off from the truck along C-6 Road then walked to Antipolo City.

“Tumutulong ako ng mga oras na ‘yun…sa pagbuhat ng basura,” Cataroja said, recalling his escape. “May dumaan na L300, doon na ako dumaan sa ilalim [ng truck].”

(I was helping that time carrying the trash to the garbage truck. An L300 passed by, and that's when I went under the truck.)

On August 17, BuCor announced that the then-missing PDL was rearrested by Angono police in Sitio Minahan Bato, Barangay San Isidro after a tip from a concerned citizen.

The Senate committee held Tuesday’s hearing at the BuCor where Cataroja is expected to demonstrate in front of the lawmakers and other authorities how he was able to get out of the state penitentiary in Muntinlupa City.

BuCor on Sunday released a video of Cataroja reenacting how he clung under a garbage truck to escape NBP.

Senator Robin Padilla, who claimed that he was a representative of PDLs, said that it was “unfair” to have thousands of PDLs suffer the consequences of the mistake made by one.

“Hindi patas, hindi parehas kung ‘yung ilang libong bilanggo ay magbabayad sa katarantaduhan lang ng isa, dalawa, o tatlong bilanggo. Hindi fair. Nung ako ay napiit dito, hindi lahat ng bilanggo ay sira ulo pa rin. Marami pa rin ang gusto magbago,” he said.

(It is not fair, it is not the same if thousands of prisoners pay for the mistakes of one, two, or three prisoners. It's not fair. When I was imprisoned here, not all prisoners were bad. Many still wanted to change.)

Padilla was convicted for illegal possession of firearms in 1994 and was released after being granted conditional pardon by former President Fidel Ramos in 1997.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr., however, said the PDLs will still be granted visitation privileges even after what Cataroja did.

“Wala pong mawawala. Tuloy ang dalaw, pero ngayon hihigpitan ng onti. Dati kasi may conjugal visit, may family visit. Baka ire-review na rin namin ‘yun,” the BuCor chief said.

(Nothing will be lost. The visit will continue, but now it will be restricted a little. Before there were conjugal and family visits. Maybe we'll review that too.)

Cataroja also apologized to Catapang and the rest of BuCor. He said his fellow inmates were angry at him for what he did.

“Nagpapasalamat nga ako at binuhay nila ko eh…Humihingi ako ng malaking pasensya sa lahat ng BuCor,” he said.

(I’m thankful that they let me live. I’m asking BuCor for forgiveness.)—AOL, GMA Integrated News