The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is trying to determine the condition of a Filipino who was reported to be among hundreds of prisoners who escaped from the Lapas Penitentiary in the aftermath of a 7.4 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Central Sulawesi, Indonesia on Friday.
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The Filipino detainee, who was earlier reported to be safe, allegedly joined a mass jailbreak after the earthquake damaged the prison, according to Oscar Orcine of the Philippine Consulate General in Manado, Indonesia.
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Orcine said the Filipino, who was convicted for possession of methamphetamine following his arrest in 2011, is serving a prison term until 2021.
The DFA has given assurances that they are coordinating with Indonesian authorities to learn the whereabouts of the Filipino as power and communications lines have yet to be restored in the area. /ee