WAPILE: A HIGH RISK INMATE (ORIGINAL VERSION)

NO MORE KARAOKE FOR WAPILE, REWARDS FOR SAILANI BROTHERS

Julie S. Alipala

June 4, 2007

ZAMBOANGA CITY – No more karaoke and videoke machine operations and goodbye to his tennis sport inside Pagadian City Jail as convicted journalist killer Guillermo Wapile was already transferred to this city a week ago.

Superintendent Victor Borres, chief warden of the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center says Wapile has to content himself playing board games inside the cell “domino at chess na lang ang pwede niyang gawin.”

Borres said Wapile is under tight watch and all his visitors are closely scrutinized and foods are strictly inspected.

Inspector Belsie Agustin, the chief operations and spokesperson of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Region 9 told the INQUIRER that “Wapile is a high risk and a high profile inmate, that is why we keep confidential his transfer to ensure that he will not escape or groups might snatch him from us, its all for security reasons.”

Wapile was transferred to the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center on May 19, 2007 under heavy guards and immediately detained at Cell Number 1 where he is sharing the cell along with 60 other high risk and high profile criminals such as Abu Sayyaf Group, murderers and rapists.

The transfer Agustin said is acted on the court order from Regional Trial Court Branch 19 in Cebu City and request from Inspector Elmer Gregorio, the jail warden of Pagadian City Jail last May 16, 2007.

High risk because according to Agustin, “Wapile’s case is not just a typical commission of index crimes, it has characters on his case being a former well trained police officer and his reported association with notorious criminal gang.”

Wapile is also a high profile inmate because his case is considered sensational and as such his case and background has been published for two consecutive times in the media.

Agustin said among the jail facility in Western Mindanao region, “only the Zamboanga City jail is the most secured and we have a cell with maximum security, so no special treatment for Wapile here.”

Borres said Wapile is not allowed to mingle with anyone outside his cell and he is not included in any of the facility’s programs and projects like the recently held skills training for inmates.

“He is a national case and we are under instruction that his movements are limited inside his cell,” Borres said where since the arrival of the convict here, only two persons visited him, the wife and a bestfriend who happened to a cop based in Pagadian City.

“He’ll stay here for safekeeping, he will soon be transferred to another facility,” Borres said.

Agustin explained that Wapile will soon be brought to the Muntinlupa as soon as there are available funds for transfer as they will require more personnel for mobility to Metro Manila.

Wapile has been convicted in Cebu City for the killing of Pagadian journalist Edgar Damalerio.

REWARDS FOR SAILANI BROTHERS

As Wapile has to content with board games, intelligence units of the Western Mindanao Regional Police Intelligence and Investigation Division are on intensified manhunt operations against the Sailani brothers, Itting and Omar.

Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro, chief of the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division confirmed that neutralization of the Sailani brothers is now covered with reward where each has a prize of P3Million or equivalent to 60,000 US Dollars.

The said rewards according to Casimiro has been provided after assessing the case of the duo where they are responsible for the killing of police officers, military, business personalities in Zamboanga City and Sulu including a photojournalist Geneboyd Lumawag.

Based on the November 23, 2006 operations in Barangay San Ramon this city, Casimiro discovered that Sailani brothers were able to kill more than 6 police officers and “we discovered it thru the recovered firearms in their safehouse.”

The rewards and latest printing of posters for the Sailani brothers were released last week with funding from the Department of National Defense, Armed Forces of the Philippine and the Philippine National Police under the joint program against most wanted persons. JULIE S. ALIPALA, INQUIRER MINDANAO

WAPILE: A HIGH RISK INMATE (PUBLISHED)

Journalist’s convicted killer tagged ‘high risk’ inmate

Ex-cop placed in cell with Abu Sayyaf suspects

By Julie Alipala
Inquirer
Last updated 06:06pm (Mla time) 06/05/2007

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Jail authorities have classified the convicted killer of Pagadian journalist Edgar Damalerio a "high-risk" prisoner and have locked him up in a maximum security cell with members of the local terror group Abu Sayyaf.

For convict and former police officer Guillermo Wapile, who was transferred to the jail here recently, there will be no more operating karaoke and videoke machines or playing tennis, things he used to do inside the Pagadian City Jail where he was formerly held.

Superintendent Victor Borres, warden of the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center, said Wapile is under tight watch and all his visitors are closely scrutinized. And from now on, all he will be able to play are board games because "domino and chess are the only games allowed [here]."

Inspector Belsie Agustin, chief of operations and spokesperson of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Western Mindanao, said Wapile is considered "high risk and a high-profile inmate."

This, said Agustin, was the reason the convicted killer’s transfer was made confidential "to ensure that he will not escape or [be snatched from us by any] groups."

"It's all for security reasons," Agustin said.

"Wapile's case is not just a typical commission of index crimes...[he] being a former well-trained police officer and his reported association with [a] notorious criminal gang," Agustin added.

Wapile was transferred to the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center on May 19 under heavy guard.

He was immediately detained at Cell Number 1, sharing it with 60 other high-risk and high-profile criminals like suspected Abu Sayyaf members, murderers and rapists.

The transfer, Agustin said, was based on an order from the Regional Trial Court Branch 19 in Cebu City and a request from Inspector. Elmer Gregorio, warden of the Pagadian City Jail.

Borres said Wapile is not allowed to mingle with anyone outside his cell. He is also excluded from any of the facility's programs and projects like the recently held skills training for inmates.

"He'll stay here for safekeeping. He will soon be transferred to another facility [the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa]," Borres said.