2 guards charged for Marikina jail riot

MANILA, Philippines - Two jail guards were charged yesterday for the death of an inmate and the wounding of two others during a riot at the Marikina City jail Sunday.

Charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and multiple frustrated homicide were filed against Jail Officer 3 Zaldy Canale and Jail Officer 1 Joel Domingo with the Marikina prosecutor’s office.

Senior Superintendent Gabriel Lopez, who conducted an investigation, said they found sufficient basis to charge Canale and Domingo for firing their issued firearms at the inmates.

Lopez reported that the inmates protested the removal of conjugal visits and strict searches of female visitors, to the point of inspecting their underwear. He said the stricter security measures stemmed from a recent attempt to smuggle shabu into the jail.

Witnesses Mark Duane de Anong, 27; Joseph Cejalvo, 31, and Enrico de Guzman, 31, claimed that prior to the riot, the leaders of every cell agreed in a meeting to stage a disturbance to denounce the jail guards’ strict rules.

Prior to the riot, inmate Michael Amaba challenged Canale to a fight but the jail guard ignored him. Another jail guard, identified as SJO4 Veloso, was about to conduct a head count of prisoners at about 4:40 p.m. when the inmates ganged up on him, according to a report reaching Chief Superintendent Miguel Laurel, director of the Eastern Police District.

Laurel said Veloso managed to run toward his colleagues, with the inmates chasing him. Canale and Domingo opened fire with their shotguns loaded with rubber bullets, hitting the three victims.

Personnel from the local police, fire department and Rescue 161 helped restore order at the jail, located at the sixth floor of the city’s justice building.

Senior Inspector Nicanor Ambahan was replaced as jail warden by Chief Inspector Gregorio Acacio.