A splash of filthy water landing on the wrong people reportedly sparked a riot early Friday morning at the overcrowded Quezon City Jail, which has been bursting at the seams since July last year due to a surge in drug-related arrests.

Officials said two detainees died—one in his sleep and another in the clash—while at least 12 others were wounded in the melee that erupted around 3:30 a.m.

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Investigation showed that it all started when the Bahala Na Gang cell mates of Edmund Domondon noticed he was making pained groans in his sleep associated with bangungot (nightmare).

They tried to wake him up by dousing him with a pail of water. But instead of drenching only Domondon, who was then lying on an elevated deck of the jail complex, the dirty water dripped on Batang City Jail members who were sleeping below, according to the warden, Supt. Ermilito Moral.

In the ensuing riot, the inmates hurled stones, hollow blocks and pieces of wood.

Domondon was declared dead on arrival at East Avenue Medical Center. The medico legal report on the cause of his death has yet to be released at press time.

Another inmate, Alfredo Hermano, was stabbed dead. The victim, however, was neither from Bahala Na nor Batang City Jail but from Sigue-Sigue Sputnik.

A progress report to Chief Supt. Romeo Elisan Jr., regional director of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), said Bahala Na Gang members also ransacked the maintenance area during the commotion.

It took about an hour for BJMP and the Quezon City Police Special Weapons and Tactics teams to stop the rioting.

At least a dozen inmates sustained stab wounds and fractures. Others hurt themselves after jumping from the second floor to the open area below to avoid the fight.

Hermano’s attacker remained unidentified at press time. The jail’s “dilapidated” security cameras were not able to take footage of the riot, hence the investigation may just have to rely on statements from eyewitnesses, Moral told the Inquirer.

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The official noted that despite the recent inspections for banned items in the jail, the rioters were still able to “improvise” and make weapons out of pieces of wood or metal “from our broken-down facilities.”

Moral noted that stricter rules recently imposed at the city jail, like a ban on smoking, may have been a factor behind the inmates’ “bottled-up aggression” that was unleashed during the riot.

A facility built for just 800 detainees, Quezon City Jail has become a living “nightmare” for 3,400 inmates.

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