Security forces kill escaped prisoner during firefight

A joint operation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) killed one escaped prisoner and recaptured seven others on the third day of a jailbreak in the southern Philippines, reports said.

One of the eight resisted arrest and was shot dead by soldiers and pro-government militia forces that tracked down the fugitives in the Kumalarang area of Basilan Island before dawn of Monday, said Army Colonel Raymundo Ferrer of Basilan.

"He was killed near a checkpoint. He was gunned down by soldiers during a firefight," said Ferrer.

Authorities placed at nine the number of prisoners who remained at large as of yesterday, on the third day of the jailbreak of an estimated 53 prisoners, majority of whom were identified as members of the hostage-taking Abu Sayyaf Group.

"The manhunt is going on and we will get them all sooner or later," said Basilan police chief William Gadayan.

Military officials said that eight of those still unaccounted for are members of the Abu Sayyaf.

They might have slipped into Sampinit, a densely forested section of Basilan that was a former hideout of the Abu Sayyaf.

Meanwhile, President Gloria Arroyo asked the military to cordon off the Basilan Island, to prevent the escape of the prisoners.

"If the massive manhunt requires cordoning off the whole Basilan province to prevent the escapees from fleeing to other provinces, so be it," said Arroyo in a statement.

"I appreciate the solid performance of the military and the police in keeping our people safe and secure during the Christian Holy Week.

But they must show the same teamwork in getting the remaining Basilan prisoners and make sure they are locked up," Arroyo added.

"Some of the escapees are indeed Abu Sayyaf members and they pose a threat not only to those who stood witness against them in the courts but also to the whole community," she said.