Inmate hangs self in CPDRC

CEBU, Philippines - Due to family problems, an inmate of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center hung himself inside the prison Sunday afternoon.

Robbery suspect Ricky Salidaga, 30, of Martires, Cebu City, was found hanging from a blanket tied to the bars of his cell.

CPDRC personnel rushed Salidaga to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center but he was declared dead on arrival.

CPDRC jail warden Alger Comendador said that earlier that day Salidaga was ridiculing visitors who entered the jail. He was supposed to be put in isolation but Comendador gave him another chance.

Later in the afternoon, Salidaga suddenly went amok and shouted at the visitors. To avoid danger, Comendador then decided to put him in isolation around 3 p.m.

“Lisod man kung makasala kay mokalit lang siya og pangisog, mag-wild, unya mangita’g bikil,” Comendador told The FREEMAN. 

It was prison guard George Libradilla who found him dead when he was about to serve dinner to Salidaga around 6 p.m.

During investigation, Comendador found out that Salidaga’s father is currently jailed in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City while his brother is also detained in the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center, both also for robbery.

Salidaga was detained December last year for committing the same offense.

An autopsy conducted by the PNP Crime Laboratory-7 showed that Salidaga died of asphyxia. Dr. Joe Martin Fuentes said that apart from a contusion found in the front of Salidaga’s neck there were no other injuries found in his body.

“Namumulupot ang neck niya. He died of asphyxia, example congested ang kanyang trachea, medyo namamaga pati ang kanyang larynx at lungs. It is because of lack of oxygen na pupunta sana sa tissue, dahil may bumara,” Fuentes explained.

He said not a single defensive or struggle wound was found in the victim’s body, contrary to radio reports that the victim was mauled to death inside the jail.

Fuentes said the kind of contusion the victim sustained can be caused by materials such as a blanket or any cloth, which corresponds to the report by the CPDRC that the inmate hung himself with a blanket.

“Kay kung halimbawa cord ang itinali sa leeg niya, imposible with the contusion he acquired,” the doctor added.

The victim’s body is now interred in a chapel along Aviola St., Sitio Villagonzalo 2, Barangay Tejero, supervised by the victim’s grandmother who only identified herself as a certain “Inday” Antone.

Antone, 70, is inclined to believe that the victim indeed committed suicide because of severe depression.

“Naguol tali nga nabartolina. Hinuon, kapila naman na siya gibartolina. Ang storya kay naa daw na siya’y ka-text-text nya nasakpan sa bana sa iyang ka-text. Gipakita sa warden ang text maong gibartolina siya,” she said.

She admitted that her grandson was really a toughie. The victim lived in Liloan town but visited her often when he was still alive. — (FREEMAN)