Inmate stabbed dead inside Caloocan jail

A 24-year-old prisoner was stabbed dead by his fellow inmate over a petty quarrel inside the Caloocan City Jail yesterday afternoon.

Victim Marvin Cristobal, of 77 Libis Talisay street, Caloocan City, jailed for murder, succumbed to a single stab wound in the chest.

According to the inmates’ visitors interviewed by The STAR, the victim engaged one Macleo Matoza, 19, in a heated verbal argument while the two prisoners were reportedly having a drinking bout inside their cell at around 1:30 p.m.

Matoza, who is facing a frustrated murder case, reportedly got a pointed object and stabbed Cristobal once in the chest.

The commotion inside the city jail prompted the jail guards to send out of prison more than a hundred visitors of the inmates.

The inmates’ kin blamed the prison’s guards and its warden for allegedly tolerating drinking sessions inside the prison.

"Marami kasi nakikinabang sa pagtitinda ng alak dyan sa loob (There are many people who benefit from selling liquor inside the prison)," Mang Hermie, 45, who was about to visit a relative but was prevented to go inside the jail, said.

Another inmate’s relative, Aling Lorna, 43, said that jail personnel in cahoots with the jail’s mayores charge every prisoner P1,000 upon arrival at the jail and an additional P2,500 for the use of its facilities.

Another P100 weekly fee is charged if a prisoner wants to avail of VIP treatment inside the jail, which means that an inmate would be free from any prison works.Those who couldn’t afford the fee, must do all the cleaning and other chores inside the city jail, she said.

The STAR tried to talk to the newly assigned jail warden Superintendent Ernest Romero but was told by a jail guard that he was not around. — Pete Laude