Inmate, believing family abandoned him, stops eating, dies

KIDAPAWAN CITY -For believing that his family has abandoned him, a 53-year old inmate died due to hypoglycemia after he stopped eating food prepared for him and the rest of the prisoners inside the jail in Makilala town in North Cotabato. Laurencio Umpay, resident of Barangay Mahongkog, Magpet who was accused of frustrated murder, has complained of rapid or fast heartbeat, dizziness, sweating, chills, and nausea – all symptoms of hypoglycemia. Jail Inspector Renz Joseph Baskogen, warden at the Makilala municipal jail, said the inmate was immediately rushed to the Makilala Specialist Hospital in Poblacion but was transferred later to a bigger hospital in Kidapawan City. Umpay expired later at a hospital due to cardiac arrest as a result of severe hypoglycemia, the warden said. Baskogen said the inmate, for several days now, has refused to eat the food prepared at the mess hall. The inmate was incarcerated since April for frustrated murder, which he denied. It was only in May that he was visited by family and few relatives. After that, no one has dropped in at the jail to see him. This led Umpay, according to jail guards, to feel bad about what happened. Meantime, another inmate was sent to a mental hospital in Davao City due to depression. The inmate suffered mental disorder after he was sent to jail for illegal possession of explosives. Despite the inmates’ condition, Baskogen said the jail facility has enough ventilation and is not yet heavily congested. The inmates, the warden said, are given good food and safe or potable water. The jail’s capacity is estimated at 70 and the number of inmates inside is now at 72.