10 hurt in jail riot

At least 10 inmates of the Manila City Jail (MCJ) suffered pellet and knife wounds as fighting between two formerly allied prison gangs erupted anew late Thursday, bringing to 15 the total number of injuries since the "war" erupted late December.

Nine of the victims reportedly belonged to the Batang City Jail (BCJ) gang while only one came from their rival Bahala Na Gang (BNG). MCJ Intelligence and Investigation Unit (IIU) head Chief Inspector Rex Delarmente said seven suffered knife wounds while three were hit by pellets from an improvised shotgun called sumpak.

Three of those injured were taken to the Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital but have reportedly been returned to the 50-year-old five-hectare compound as of press time. There were reportedly no serious injuries.

Delarmente said the fighting started at around 5:10 p.m. when BCJ members came to MCJ's prison cell number 2 looking for a member of the Sputnik gang, another prison group.

MCJ has a fourth prison gang, the Commando group, which is in alliance with the Sputnik, once battled the BCJ and the BNG.

But when BCJ members reportedly came to cell number 2, some BNG men in the cell took the gesture as an act of hostility resulting in a confrontation. Soon, word spread of the cell 2 face-off until stones, metals, and bottles began raining between BCJ and BNG members occupying cell 9 and cell 8, respectively.

The lone BNG injury was reportedly hit by an improvised arrow during the exchange. The fighting lasted for 20 minutes. "We thought we have settled the fighting and forged a truce between the groups. We organized a talk between the two groups before with an agreement that whoever starts the fight will be transferred to the Bicutan (Taguig) jail," said Delarmente.

Tagged as culprit in the third wave of fighting between the two gangs was a Taiwanese prisoner belonging to BCJ. It was the Taiwanese, jailed for estafa, who allegedly incited his comrades to go to cell 2 after he had a fight with a Sputnik member in that cell.

The Taiwanese is now, reportedly in the adjustment cell known as the bartolina. Delarmente said the Taiwanese will be transferred. In relation to this, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology director

Chief Superintendent Aquilino Jacob led another drugs and weapons search at the MCJ with the help of K-9 dogs.

As of press time two sumpaks and three sacks of improvised bladed weapons have been seized, many of them too big or too long to have been slipped in by jail visitors through the gate.

Delarmente suspects that the rusting steel weapons were thrown over the high walls of the jail from the houses of squatters surrounding the prison compound.

The large seizure of weapons came after earlier confiscation of the same prohibited items of similar quantity in earlier raids.

Jacob said the search had nothing to do with the fighting, saying it was scheduled. Jacob denied that several were hurt in the latest gang battle and said only three were hurt.