CPDRC inmate injured after diving off guard tower

CEBU, Philippines- An inmate of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center was rushed to the hospital after he sustained injury in the head when he dived from one of the facility’s 12-foot guard tower down to the concrete floor.

Marco Toral, the provincial government’s consultant on jail management, said the incident happened past 4 p.m. last Saturday just after the wife of the inmate, Joven Poligrates, 37, visited him.

Toral said the guard tower or viewing deck is off limits to inmates but Poligrates reportedly rushed up and dived off. He said Poligrates was lucky that he landed partially on another inmate before hitting the ground otherwise his injury would have been worse.

“Pina-dive ang paglukso. Maayo gani pagtugpa niya, naigo pa siya sa abaga sa usa ka piniriso unya sa semento. Pirting pagkasamara sa ulo,” Toral said.

The other inmate also sustained injury.

Poligrates was reportedly conscious when brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center. As of yesterday, he was confined at the hospital’s trauma center and was unable to talk, Toral said.

Poligrates was detained for more than a week already after he was charged of rape. Toral said he was showing signs of depression days prior to the incident so he was placed in isolation.

Jail warden Romeo Manansala said a guard was detailed at the watch tower at that time.

“Naa nay duty guard… Gibadlong na to (Poligrates) sa gwardiya pero kalit lang milayat,” he told The Freeman.

The tower was subjected to repair after it was damaged by the massive earthquake in 2013.

Manansala confirmed that Poligrates is the older brother of basketball player Eliud “Eloy” Poligrates of the Kia Carnival team in the Philippine Basketball Association.  (FREEMAN)