Acting Or. Mindoro gov orders probe on the deaths of 2 inmates of prov’l. jail
Family of dead prisoner appeals for thorough investigation
CALAPAN CITY – The acting governor of Oriental Mindoro, Vice-Governor Humerlito Dolor, has ordered a full-dress and impartial investigation on last Sunday’s death of two inmates inside the provincial jail in this city, as the former also vowed to institute needed measures to restore order and effective management of the island province’s penal system.
This developed as the family of inmate Larry Supnet, who was found dead minutes after he killed his co-inmate Darwin Buadilla when it reportedly run amuck on the night of May 29, is asking authorities to conduct an investigation to find out the real reason for their relative’s death.
In a press conference at the provincial capitol here Tuesday (May 31), Vice-Governor Dolor stated he already tasked Provincial Administrator Angel Saulong to lead the provincial investigation team to know how the real reason how Supnet and Buadilla got killed with the jail guards allegedly did nothing to prevent it.
On the night of May 29, it was reported that Supnet, for still unknown reason, run amuck and hit Buadilla, a gang mate, with a 2” x 2” thick wood. After beating Buadilla, Supnet turned his ire on his other co-inmates but was subdued and the wild suspect fell off the provincial jail’s concrete pavement as a result.
Dolor wants to find out the true circumstances behind the incident, including how the jail guards reacted when it occurred. Some jail inmates who witnessed the incident alleged that the guards allowed other prisoners to gang up on Supnet after the latter killed Buadilla.
The provincial jail warden, Edilberto Gabor, reported to Dolor and Saulong the incident the morning after. However, Gabor’s official report failed to reason out why the present jail guards there let the already unconscious Supnet lay on the ground and no one among them (jail guards) bothered to examine the knocked out inmate for more than 20 minutes. It was only after the said period lapsed that those present realized that Supnet was no longer breathing, or already dead presumably as a result of the latter’s head hitting hard the concrete pavement.
Afterwards, Supnet was taken to the Oriental Mindoro Provincial Hospital, but attending medical personnel there declared the prisoner as “dead on arrival.” The other involved inmate, Buadilla, on the other hand expired at the same hospital at about 4 AM of the next day (May 30).
According to Gabor, inmate Supnet is suffering from mental illness and the latter’s family repeatedly brought him to a mental hospital before he was locked inside the provincial jail for attempted parricide case.
The family of Supnet, nevertheless, is said to be allowing investigators to examine or conduct autopsy on the inmate’s body to find out the real cause of his death. Requesting the acting governor to conduct a thorough investigation, they stated that Supnet’s body bore bruises on its different parts, including a head trauma, at the time of his death.
Dolor indicated to newsmen here that the jail warden will also be investigated together with the guards present when the incident happened.
He also assured the people that more measures or reforms will be instituted on all provincial jails in Oriental Mindoro to ensure safety and welfare of the inmates. The acting governor stated that in four months time, there will be changes to the province’s penal system and eventually, the provincial government will allow the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) of the Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG) to manage the Oriental Mindoro Provincial Jail system.(By JUANCHO R. MAHUSAY)
Tags: oriental mindoro, Provincial Jail
