BBRC official confirms inmate died at CCMC from meningitis

The inmate of the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center who died yesterday at the Cebu City Medical Center did not die from beatings but from a lingering ailment, jail officials said.

BBRC operations chief, Sr/Insp. Gil Inopia, denied allegations that inmate Rando Sala was a victim of beatings, and showed to reporters the hospital-issued death certificate indicating that he died from acute bacterial meningitis.

Inopia clarified that the bruises found in Sala's body were already there when the inmate was committed to the BBRC last January 8 for rape charges.

The hospital's emergency room officer-in-charge, Dr. Gloria Duterte, signed a medical certificate, after examining Sala, that showed that Sala had a 0.5 centimeter laceration in the lower lip, contusion hematoma at the lower inner lip reportedly caused by an "assault" before his detention.

Inopia added that Sala's father informed jail officials about the mental condition of his son being epileptic and needed some attention so he could take his prescribed medicines on time.

On his first day at the BBRC, Sala got violent prompting jail officers to decide not to remove his handcuffs and transfer him to the new facility in Kalunasan where nurses could monitor his health at the infirmary.

Last Saturday, Sala reportedly suffered a seizure inside the new jail and jailguards immediately called the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation to take him to CCMC. He however died in the hospital at 12:30am yesterday.

Meanwhile last Sunday evening, a BBRC inmate was beaten up then stabbed by his co-inmates after a minor commotion took place inside the mess hall near the jail's kitchen.

The victim, Romulo Ligan, has been known as the "payapa" or the peacemaker assigned to maintain peace and order among the inmates under his stead.

Ligan got into trouble when he hit with a baton inmate Junrey Belandres for misbehaving in the mess hall. It started at the kitchen where Belandres "inserted" in the queue of inmates waiting for their supper ration.

This resulted in complaints from the other inmates prompting Ligan to scold Belandres and ordered the latter to fall in line orderly. Belandres reacted angrily and even dared to fight Ligan who, in turn, was forced to hit the rowdy inmate with a baton.

Ligan's disciplinary act however angered the group of Joel Pagador who tried to take revenge in behalf of Belandres-a matter that caused a brief commotion.

The rift was resolved via an "internal" settlement among the inmates but there were rumors that Belandres was not happy about it and told his cellmates Pagador, Junior Morales, Brian Quijo and Joel Aranas to do something.

Pagador's group then ganged up on Ligan using various objects then stabbed his right chest with an ice pick.

The wounded Ligan was rushed to the hospital while his attackers were put in isolation cells. - Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE