QC jail congestion due to drug war proving to be as deadly

As jail congestion got worse due to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, two detainees in Quezon City have died because of health problems this week while a third has also fallen ill and remained comatose in a hospital.

The three inmates were all held in the temporary detention cell of the Novaliches station of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), which is currently packed with over 100 people, or thrice its intended capacity.

Around 12:05 p.m. on Monday, visitors at the cell saw Marlo Lagrama, 37, clutching his chest as he gasped for air. Police said he was immediately brought to Novaliches District Hospital (NDH) and later moved to Quezon City General Hospital (QCGH), where he was pronounced dead shortly before 5 p.m.

Lagrama, who was arrested July 19 for alleged possession of drug paraphernalia, died of pneumonia, according to the station commander, Supt. April Mark Young. The inmate also suffered from brain enlargement, the officer added.

About 12 hours later, two more detainees were brought to the hospital after they fell unconscious to due to difficulty in breathing.

Renato Moreno, 43, who was jailed on June 28 for unjust vexation and trespassing, was later declared dead on arrival at NDH. Bienvenido Paredez, 42, a suspected drug pusher, remained comatose at QCGH at press time.

A report to Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, QCPD director, said the situation at the station was aggravated by a water supply cutoff around 11 p.m. on Monday.

For temporary relief, Young said, some of the male detainees were transferred to the women’s holding facility within the station, while the current eight female inmates were moved to the custodial center under the police community precinct.

Eleazar said the QCPD would need the local government’s help in decongesting the cells. He also called on the city health office to check the detainees’ condition.

“The situation is really not good,” Eleazar said. “But we cannot just stop our antidrug operations.”

In November last year, four detainees in the QCPD-Batasan station died within a week. The station was then holding over 300 people in a cell made for only 40.