3 dead, 64 injured in Bilibid riot —DOJ

At least three people died and 64 were injured following a riot at the New Bilibid Prison on Monday, the Department of Justice said.

"That is the current count that reached us but we were told this might not be final yet," Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar said.

Six of those injured were brought to the Ospital ng Muntinlupa for treatment, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said. Some of the officers who responded also sustained minor injuries, the bureau said.

The BuCor said a "free-for-all scuffle" erupted between the Sputnik and Commando gangs at the national penitentiary's maximum security compound past 8 a.m. on Monday and was contained at around 10 a.m.

It said it was investigating the cause.

"[The] NBP is back to normal operations as of this time and everything is under control," the BuCor said past 3 p.m. on Monday.

The incident took place exactly one month after a riot between the same gangs at the Bilibid that killed nine inmates.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said BuCor and police forces are conducting clearing operations.

He said he will order the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the incident or expand its ongoing probe on the previous riot. 

Guevarra said a part of the investigation would be looking into the possible negligence of BuCor officials.

"Definitely. These BuCor officials should have learned their lesson from the previous violent incident where several PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) were killed," he said in a message to reporters.

Following the riot in October, Guevarra said he wanted to know how "such a violent incident could happen in the wee hours of the morning and last for hours, and why the prison authorities failed to detect and prevent such a huge gang war that left many inmates dead or injured." — AOL/RSJ, GMA News