DFA: Efforts to locate missing Filipino inmate in Indonesia underway

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.

READ: Filipino inmate in tsunami-hit Indonesia town now missing — consul general

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.

READ: Philippines condoles with Indonesia as quake-tsunami deaths rise

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