4 Iloilo city jail inmates hurt in brawl

ILOILO CITY, Philippines—Four inmates were hurt in a melee inside the district jail in Iloilo City Monday morning.

The four inmates, facing murder and drug charges, suffered stab wounds after they were allegedly attacked by fellow inmates and brothers George and Joel Barsibas inside the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facility at Barangay (village) Ungka in Jaro District, according to Police Officer 3 Jerwin Servano, investigator of the Jaro police station.

Servano identified the wounded inmates as Elmer Delgado, 34; Edison Espago, 32; Rey Cataluna, 25; and Jed Refugio, 27. They were taken to the Western Visayas Medical Center for treatment.

Servano said the melee occurred during a meeting among the inmates around 9 a.m.

Joel first stabbed Delgado with a pair of scissors during a shouting match. His brother George attacked Refugio when the latter tried to pacify the inmates. Cataluna and Espago were also stabbed and hit by a rock by the brothers when they tried to intervene.

The brothers were placed under investigation by prison authorities, Servano said.