Prisoners take 4-year-old boy hostage in jail

ILOILO CITY — Inmates at the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center (IRC) here took hostage last Monday a 4-year-old boy, releasing him only after his father paid a measly P6,300 ransom.

Hostage victim Mark Sumcio was held hostage by 164 inmates Monday night after a riot erupted inside IRC’s annex building.

The riot was reportedly led by Joel Prion, the mayor de mayores of the jail and one Jerry Suficencia. The two led inmates in destroying the jail’s cell gate, throwing bottles, burning papers and linens and staging a noise barrage.

According to reports, the riot and hostage taking stemmed from a quarrel over the inability of inmate Marlon Sumcio to pay Suficencia the money he lost on a toss coin game.

Sumcio said he had tried to pay Suficencia but the latter was not satisfied. Suficencia, he said, took a piece of wood and started hitting him, triggering the riot.

At the time of the riot, Sumcio is being visited by his wife who brought their child Mark with her. At the height of the rumble, Sumcio forgot the boy and Suficencia seized him, refusing to release him until he paid his debt in full.

Prison officials then interceded and raised P6,300 to pay to Suficencia. Iloilo City councilor Josua Alim, who was at the jail, shelled out P1,000, jail warden Efren Quintos added P3,000 and a certain Colonel Fernandez gave P500. The remaining P1,800 was given by the vice governor.

The hostage victim was released only at 10 a.m. yesterday, 15 hours after the riot began.

Before releasing the boy, jail mayor Prion took the opportunity to express their wishes to prison officials . He asked that prisoners not be forced to wear their orange uniform when going to court for trial.

"We are still detainees here and not convicts, we should not wear those uniforms specially when going to our hearings," he said.

Prion also said that jail guards should stop strip-searching their female visitors, particularly their wives.

Quintos said no charges will be filed against Prion, Suficencia and all those who participated in the riot and the hostage taking. He said they would only suspend certain privileges of the inmates while investigation is going on.

He admitted that gambling is rampant inside the jail and that he will do everything to keep the prisoners busy without resorting to gambling.

More than 400 inmates are detained at the IRC.