Stabbing of 2 inmates triggers uproar in prison

TWO inmates were severely wounded after getting stabbed allegedly by the top inmate or “mayor de mayores” inside the Cebu City Jail yesterday afternoon.

The attack at 12:30 p.m. on the third floor of the facility’s main building provoked a commotion among the detainees and forced prison officials to suspend visiting privileges.

Supt. Johnson Calub, the jail warden, identified the victims as Alinor Andingan and Michael Sansan.

Andingan suffered more than 10 stab wounds in different parts of his body, while Sansan was hit four times.

As of 7 last night, they were in stable condition and confined in a private hospital.

Calub said the jail’s officials have yet to find out what Ariel Degamo, the jail leader, allegedly used in attacking the victims.

A personal grudge is being considered as a possible motive.

Degamo, whose appointment as the new leader was questioned by some inmates before, allegedly attacked Andingan first.

Sansan, who saw the incident, tried to help pacify the fight but was instead stabbed as well.

A commotion erupted after news of the incident spread inside the facility.

“It’s a taboo for them, that’s why they acted that way,” Calub said in a press briefing.

Some inmates screamed while others tried to charge the security personnel. Visitors were immediately ordered to go out.

After the inmates were restrained and the tension eased, they were met by their cell leaders, Calub said.

The jail warden said they are trying to prevent sympathizers of Andingan from getting back at Degamo.

Andingan, who hails from Marawi City, was jailed last November 2009 on drug charges.

Sansan, on the other hand, was placed in the facility last October 2011 for a murder case.

Calub said they are mulling the possibility of confining Degamo in an isolation cell for a while. Complaints of frustrated murder might also be filed against him.

A visitor, who wished not to be named, told Sun.Star Cebu some of the inmates were having a drinking session before the incident.

“That’s not true. We don’t allow that in here,” Calub said.

Outside the facility, some visitors lamented after their privileges were temporarily clipped because of the incident.

“They should understand (we are doing this) for security reasons,” Calub said.

On the claim that a mass jailbreak is imminent, according to Byron Garcia, the brother of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Calub commented they will keep their guard up.

Operatives of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Special Response Unit (SRU) were called for back-up.

SPO2 Reynante Nioda, the team leader, said they were observing the facility, in case a commotion happens again.

When they arrived, they initially went inside the wrong facility, the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC).

Acting Governor Agnes Magpale also went to the CPDRC yesterday to visit the staff and wish everyone a happy new year.

Last October, a commotion also erupted inside the jail after some inmates allegedly disagreed with the appointment of Degamo as their new jail leader, because he is not originally from Cebu.

Degamo hails from Misamis Oriental and has been imprisoned since 2009 for robbery with homicide and frustrated murder.