Tuesday, January 30, 2007 Jail peacemaker stabbed, mauled; inmates’ transfer not yet completed
FOR calling someone’s attention, an inmate got stabbed and mauled inside the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC) Sunday night.
Romulo Ligan was taken to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) after he got beaten up with pieces of firewood and was stabbed with an ice pick Sunday night.
This was after he allegedly called the attention of Junrey Belandres past noon that day.
Senior Insp. Gil Inopia said the inmates were lining up to get their lunch rations for the day when Belandres allegedly cut in.
Ligan, who is designated as a “tagapamayapa” in the jail, called his attention but Belandres allegedly ignored him.
Because of this, some inmates decided to beat him up forcing jail guards to get him out of the main cell area and place him in isolation.
Out of trouble
Inopia said this was just to get him out of trouble.
But at past 8 p.m., Belandres’ friend Joel Pagador allegedly decided to avenge Belandres and pounced on Ligan.
Ligan suffered wounds on the head and chest, prompting jail personnel to take him to a hospital just to check if his injuries were not serious.
Inopia, though, assured that Ligan was better and was released from the hospital yesterday.
Matter settled
He added that the inmates also settled the matter themselves after Ligan signed a waiver that stated he was no longer interested to file a case against Pagador.
Pagador was also transferred to an isolation cell to prevent other inmates who may sympathize with Ligan get to him.
Meanwhile, the BBRC still has not completed the transfer of all inmates to the new facility in Barangay Kalunasan.
BBRC Warden Efren Nemeño said the contractors failed to complete the building.
But even if it were finished, Nemeño said he would still advise against completing the transfer, citing problems on water sources.
Because Barangay Kalunasan is refusing to supply water to them because of limited supply, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) 7 is working to complete their own water system separate from the barangay.
Until the project is completed, the BBRC pumps water from the old facility in Barangay Apas and transports gallons of water to the new facility in Kalunasan.
Nemeño said that three weeks ago, they encountered a problem when the water pipe in the old jail broke and there was no water for bathing and flushing out waste.
Currently, 970 of the more than 2,500 inmates are at the Kalunasan jail. (MEA)
