1 killed, 21 hurt in renewed gang war at Manila City Jail

Just a day after a supposed peace pact between warring prison gangs at the Manila City Jail, fighting erupted at the violence - stricken prison compound, resulting in the death of one and the wounding of 21 others in an hour-long riot Sunday morning.

Some of the wounded had steel darts imbedded in their bodies, stab wounds, and lacerations in the almost uninterrupted fighting as jail guards were more concerned with the possibility of prisoners "taking advantage of the confusion to escape."

"The fighting eventually died down because some of the inmates were pacifying their own comrades," said one-week long Manila jail warden Chief Inspector Romeo Elisan.

Elisan replaced esrtwhile three-day Manila jail warden Superintendent George Talania, who was relieved last week after two inmates escaped by scaling an unmanned perimeter wall of the jail.

The escape triggered fresh fighting after members of the Bahala Na Gang attempted to stop the escapees both members of the Batang City Jail gang.

The initial fight rekindled bad blood between the two groups, resulting in two more riots that injured 12.

The fatality was identified as Danilo Diaz, 31, who sustained a stab wound in the chest and died at the Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital.

Diaz was reportedly a member of the Batang City Jail gang and was undergoing trial for drug possession at a Manila court.

Elisan said yesterday's free-for-all started about 9 a.m. after inmates had heard Mass at the prison chapel.

He said that while dispersing to their respective cells to prepare for their visitors, the two rival gangs began taunting each other until somebody hurled a stone at one group.

"We are still trying to find out which group is really responsible," Elisan told The STAR.

Most of the injuries, according to Elisan were Batang City Jail inmates. They were being treated at the Jose Reyes jail infirmary under tight security.

Jail guards seized improvised bows, arrows, knives, and a sumpak or a home-made shotgun.

The widespread use of weapons in the rumble continued despite an earlier search for weapons following the earlier fights.

Elisan said the inmates were provided with scrap metal by squatters living around the prison compound, some towering over their walls.

He said other metals used were from the jail's old underground pipeline.

"I cannot guarantee that there will be no more riots in the future but we are trying to secure the assurance of their respective leaders," said Elisan.