CEBU CITY, Philippines – The inmate who was killed in inside the Mandaue City jail on Monday, July 29, was shot by another inmate, contrary to an earlier report that he was stabbed dead.

Colonel Jonathan Abella, chief of the Mandaue City Police, told reporters in a press conference on Tuesday, July 30, that Romy Romas was shot twice in the body and once in the head. 

Abella corrected the initial report released by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) that the victim was stabbed by another inmate.

While those living near the Mandaue City jail said they heard gunfire when the incident happened on Monday, July 29, they were unsure if the shots were warning shots from the jail guards responding to the commotion in the male dormitory’s basketball court.

According to the Mandaue City chief, the suspect had been identified as Jade Saladaga, who told investigators he shot Romas for constantly “beating him up” in the prison.

“Saladaga, he would always get beat up. The reason was that Romas suspected Saladaga to be a police informant,” Abella said in Cebuano. However, Abella said it was not true that Saladaga – who is in prison on murder charges – was a police asset.

“He was able to get a gun in through the back side. He coordinated with one of his visitors to throw the gun over the wall on the side where there are many makeshift homes,” Abella said.

To prevent a repeat of the incident, Abella said they installed a net on the area where Saladaga was able to get someone to throw the gun over the wall. 

Brigadier General Debold Sinas, director of Police Regional Office 7 Central Visayas, said that he approved a request for an augmentation force of personnel of the special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team  to help BJMP prevent entry of contraband and the drug trade from inside the prison. 

Sinas said that Romas was allegedly among the new leaders who took over the drug syndicate of Steve Go. 

Go, who was killed last year in the same prison, was said to have led the illegal drug operations from Talisay City, directly south of Cebu City.

Saladaga has been separated from the rest of the inmates. The family of Romas has not yet decided if they would file murder charges against Saladaga. – Rappler.com