Iloilo inmate stabbed to death

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — An inmate allegedly stabbed to death his fellow prisoner at the Iloilo District Jail in Barangay Nanga in Pototan, Iloilo on Friday.

Elbert Ganancial managed to gain access to Melvin Gemio’s cell and stabbed him several times at around 6:20 a.m., Superintendent Jairus Anthony Dogelio, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Western Visayas spokesperson and legal officer, said.

Gemio suffered 11 stab wounds and was declared dead on arrival at the Iloilo Provincial Hospital.

The victim had been detained on charges of illegal possession of firearms. Ganancial is being held for murder.

Probers are looking into claims that Ganancial harbored a grudge against Gemio because he did not participate in the noise barrage staged by around 100 inmates to protest what they claimed to be the lack and poor quality of food in the facility.

Dogelio said an investigation is underway to determine if there were lapses on the part of BJMP personnel.