Commotion in jail leaves 5 inmates wounded

Cebu City jail inmates fought each other with broken soft drink bottles after disagreeing on what activities to hold for the National Correctional Consciousness Week, says jail official

A COMMOTION disrupted a meeting inside Cebu City Jail last Friday afternoon, leaving five inmates injured.

A dyLA report said the commotion took place after the detainees of the facility in Barangay Kalunasan voiced their opposition to the appointment of a new inmate leader.

This was denied by Jail Warden Johnson Calub, who said the commotion was a result of a misunderstanding among the prisoners who were discussing their activities for National Correctional Consciousness Week this month.

“That was a false report,” he said.

Calub said the incident happened at 2:40 p.m. while the inmates were holding an open forum. In the forum, one inmate raised his voice that angered the other inmates.

“Nagka-initay. Nangasuko ang uban. Didto na nagsugod (That’s where the incident started),” he said.

Inmates fought each other using broken soft drink bottles. Jail personnel controlled the situation.

The inmates who were hurt were taken to the jail’s infirmary.

“We already patched things up by calling their cell leaders. Everything’s good,” Calub said.

An investigation is ongoing.

A radio report tells a different story.

Some inmates allegedly didn’t approve of the appointment of Ariel Degamo as their new jail leader because he is not a native of Cebu.

Degamo, who hails from Misamis Oriental and had been imprisoned for the last two years for robbery with homicide and frustrated murder, has been serving as prison head for three months now.

An inmate said some prisoners complained that they don’t benefit from Degamo’s programs. However, 44 out of 49 cell leaders voted for him to be their leader.

Degamo was the last person the late businessmen Antonio “Tony Hapon” Santos talked to before the latter was shot and killed last April.