The Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center. (CDN FILE PHOTO)
Two female inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) reportedly went berserk inside their cell at past 3 a.m. today.
Fellow inmates like Renante Barbero, a trustee, believed that they were “possessed.” He said he saw them flailing on the ground when he checked on them earlier.
“Nagtuo ko nga giatake ra. Pero lahi na man ang porma. Iyang kamot, nangusog. Ilang lawas, nag igwad-igwad ug ilang tingog nag usab-usab. Ang usa mura og lalaki, ang usa mura og mananap (I believed that they had a seizure. But it looked different. Their hands were strong, their bodies were shaking and the tone of their voices changed. The first one sounded like a man, the other sounded like an animal),” he told Cebu Daily News.
Jail Consultant Marco Toral received a distress call at 4 a.m. and saw the inmates calm down. “Giampoan sila sa ilang mga kauban. Pagkahuman, nakalma ra man (The inmates prayed for them and they calmed down),” he told CDN.
Toral said there are 16 of them inside a cell. The two were not isolated after the first frenzy. “Ilang gisuotan og rosaryohan ug gibutangan og asin (They made them wear the rosary and placed salt on them),” Toral added. At 6 a.m., the two inmates started behaving violently again. Toral said the two female inmates fainted.
The in-house doctor and two nurses immediately dealt with the two inmates. Dr. Christina Giango said it is not scientifically possible that the two were possessed.
She linked their violent behavior to excess carbon dioxide in the body or “kabuhi” in the vernacular. The two inmates were made to breathe into paper bags until they calmed down again.
As of 10 a.m. today, Toral said the two inmates are well and are staying in their cell with 14 others. He said that they will continue to monitor their recovery.
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