But he said 251 prisoners had come back, and were now being housed in a section of the complex that suffered minor damage.
Returnees interviewed by AFP said their immediate concern after escaping was to check on or help loved ones, and that they came back because they did not want to ruin their chances of being exonerated at trial.
"I returned because I want my freedom to be legal," said Renato Comora, 47, who is on trial for murder.
Comora said he initially went to his wife and six children in the town of Dulag about 30 kilometers (18 miles) away.
"My family is OK, there are no casualties but my house is totally destroyed," he said inside the prison compound as other inmates milled around or were cooking on soot-blackened pots using firewood.
"I just wanted to make sure that my family was safe. After that, I returned on my own because I don't want to live the life of a fugitive."
Oldarico Raquel, 36, who is on trial for attempted murder, said he also escaped because he wanted to see his family.
His house was destroyed and he helped put up makeshift shelters for his family and relatives before returning to the jail, where he and 17 other inmates were packed in one cell.
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