COTABATO CITY, Philippines—About 200 inmates of the Cotabato City detention center launched a three-hour noise barrage Sunday to protest what they called was an attempt to poison them.

The inmates, who are facing various charges in court, only settled down after Mayor Muslimin Sema arrived and convinced them to stop the noise barrage.

Tata Lidasan, who claimed to be the leader of the detainees, said the food served to them has a very alien taste.

“Because of the suspicious taste, we suspect there was an attempt to poison us,” he said in the vernacular.

Chief Inspector Julius Aro, acting jail warden, denied the inmates’ allegations.

“I am still in my proper state of mind and it would be impossible for me to do that,” Aro said of the allegations of attempts to poison the inmates.

“My primary duty is to ensure the safety of the inmates, not the other way around,” Aro said, adding that he was willing to be investigated.

Lidasan said that in light of the incident, they wanted former jail warden Inspector Panga Arab to reassume his post. “We have lost confidence in the present jail warden. We fear of reprisal because of what had happened,” Lidasan said.

The noise barrage started at about 4 p.m.

Aro said at the height of the noise barrage, the jail guards remained cool and avoided direct confrontation with the inmates to prevent injuries.

“I was sitting outside the jail and one of the inmates threw an empty mineral water container at me,” Aro said.

Sema said a dialog was held Sunday afternoon that settled the issue.

The two-story detention cell along Shariff Kabunsuan Boulevard was designed to hold about 70 inmates.