Cover-up in death of inmate?

CEBU, Philippines - Is the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center trying to cover-up the death of an inmate at the jail and the severe wounding of another last week?

This after the Committee on Discipline and Investigation said in its initial result that one of the two inmates who reportedly died last week after he allegedly lost his balance while hanging his clothes actually died as a result of mauling.

It was CPDRC warden Alito Gabuya who earlier said Angelito Cabalquinto died after he lost his balance while hanging his clothes last Thursday.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia earlier assigned lawyer Lito Astillero to head the committee to investigate the recent deaths in the CPDRC saying she does not want to hear the speculations of her brother Byron Garcia, who used to manage the jail as her consultant.

Aside from Cabalquinto, another inmate, Simplicio Taoy, died reportedly died of a heart attack last Wednesday, but Astillero’s committee determined that it was indeed a heart attack that killed Taoy.

Astillero also said that Gabuya’s report regarding Cabalquinto’s death was only based on hearsay and testimonies from the inmates. He said many inmates are associated with gangs that enforce their own code of silence.

Astillero told reporters yesterday that based on his information gathering at least 16 other inmates mauled Cabalquinto and inmate Benjie Undit last Thursday.

Their initial investigation revealed that inmate Roger Repuyla who is an assistant of inmate Leo Suico, who is the “minarya” or “bosyo” (inmate leader) received information Undit was planning to stab him.

Based on the tip Repuyla and his lieutenants called Undit and brought him to a room which had no CCTV cameras.

It was during the “investigation” that Repuyla concluded Undit was indeed a threat after they confiscated from him a shank made from a sharpened toothbrush.

Undit allegedly caved in and implicated Cabalquinto, who was then brought into the room.

But when Cabalquinto arrived, he immediately punched Undit for dragging his name and told the latter “nganong i-apil-apil man ko nimo nga imo ra man ning plano?

This was when 16 inmates all allied with Repuyla allegedly took turns in mauling both Undit and Cabalquinto.

Cabalquinto was then brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center where he later died of celebral hemorrhage due to secondary head injury, while Undit was severely injured.

Byron earlier said the CPDRC has been hiding Undit, keeping him inside a cell in the jail until his wounds are no longer discernible. But Astillero said the reason why Undit remains in jail is because there was no recommendation for him to be brought to the hospital yet.

But as of last night Undit was taken for confinement to VSMMC accompanied by his mother.

Astillero also brushed off allegations that the recent events in the CPDRC have to do with inmates being forced to join the “dancing inmates” as inmates themselves allegedly compete with one another for this opportunity.

It was Byron who earlier said that Cabalquinto may have been killed to scare resistant inmates into joining performances again.

Gabuya for his part said that he is willing to face whatever consequences arise from the recent events.

Astillero also said he has yet to question the 16 inmates who allegedly mauled the two before he submits his final report to the governor this week. (FREEMAN)