Michael Cataroja, a recaptured person deprived of liberty (PDL), admitted on Tuesday that he escaped the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in July due to boredom because no one was visiting him.

During a Senate committee hearing on justice and human rights on Cataroja’s escape, Senator Francis Tolentino asked the inmate about his reason for escaping NBP’s maximum security compound.

The 25-year-old inmate answered Tolentino’s question, saying that he was very bored and no one was visiting him.

He recalled that he evaded the authorities on the morning of July 7 through a garbage truck, narrating that he was helping at the time, carrying the tray to the garbage truck, when an L300 passed. He took the opportunity to go under it.

Due to Cataroja’s recent escape from NBP, the visiting hours will be restricted a little, said Bureau of Corrections’ (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr., who also explained that the PDLs will still be granted visitation privileges.

Cataroja apologized to Catapang and the rest of the BuCor, sharing that his fellow inmates were mad at him for what he did.

On August 17, Cataroja was re-arrested by the Angono police in Sitio Minahan Bato, Barangay San Isidro, thanks to a tip from a concerned citizen.

The BuCor, moreover, released a video of the PDL's reenactment of escaping NBP, showing how he clung under the garbage truck.

Cataroja is expected to demonstrate his escape in front of lawmakers and other authorities in the Senate committee hearing on Tuesday.

The inmate was detained for less than two years for violating the anti-fencing law.