A screen grab of CCTV footage shows the city jail compound littered with rocks and other debris (topmost photo) after Sunday’s riot among prisoners armed with improvised weapons like slings (top photo). —Jhesset O. Enano
Worsening conditions at the Quezon City Jail have made inmates “more irritable,” the warden said on Monday, a day after a riot erupted inside the crowded facility and left nine prisoners injured.
Supt. Ermilito Moral cited the volatile mix as the spark behind Sunday’s brief melee that involved members of four prison gangs who were armed with makeshift weapons made from materials taken from their dilapidated cells.
On Monday, jail officials conducted a surprise check of the inmates’ cells and seized more makeshift bows and arrows fashioned out of pieces of wood and nails that had been sharpened.
‘Family Day’ ends badly
The riot erupted shortly past 4 p.m. on Sunday as visitors who were there for “Family Day” were leaving the city jail compound.
According to Moral, a fight started between members of the Sigue-Sigue Sputnik and Sigue-Sigue Commando gangs. Footage taken by a closed-circuit television camera also showed a still unidentified inmate punching a fellow prisoner, triggering a free-for-all.
Members of the other gangs — Commando, Sputnik, Batang City Jail and Bahala Na Gang — also joined in, trading arrows, and lobbing rocks and plastic chairs at each other.
Several inmates were spotted using their plywood beds as shields as they hurled more projectiles at rival gang members.
Warning shots fired
The scuffle, however, lasted just five minutes as jail officials fired warning shots although it left several inmates from the Bahala Na Gang and Commando groups injured.
They were identified as Rodrigo Vinluan, Erwin Maliwat, Michael Enciso, Alexander Baura, Jojo Responte, July Dublon, Roberto Romero, Joel Solano and Allan Aquino.
Although they sustained only minor wounds, six had to be taken to East Avenue Medical Center for stitches after they sustained facial injuries, Moral said.
Meanwhile, PO1 Miguel Unate of the adjacent Kamuning police station was injured after a rock thrown from the city jail broke one of the windows and hit him on the face.
No smuggled weapons
In an interview, Moral said that none of the weapons used in the brawl had come from outside.
“Because our jail is already dilapidated, they can chip away at the walls and use the nails and other metal objects to create weapons like arrows,” he explained.
He said that the 3,000-square-meter jail was overcrowded. Meant to house only around 700 to 800 inmates, its population now stands at over 3,200 detainees.
A splash of dirty water which landed on the wrong people also sparked a riot in November, leaving two detainees dead, one in his sleep and another in the clash. Twelve others were injured.