DOJ investigates Iwahig Penal Colony shootout

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has ordered an investigation into a shootout involving officers at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

"I have directed Usec, [Deo] Marco, who supervises corrections, to immediately conduct an internal investigation and to report to me ASAP," Guevarra said in a message on Monday.

The Iwahig Penal Colony is on lockdown after a shootout between a monitoring team of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and an officer of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer around 9 a.m. on Sunday.

The team leader of the BJMP monitoring team reportedly fired first, prompting a correction officer to retaliate.

The cause of the incident and any injuries were not immediately known.

Iwahig is one of the BuCor's seven facilities nationwide, alongside the New Bilibid Prison, the Correctional Institution for Women, the Davao Prison and Penal Farm, the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm, the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm, and the Leyte Regional Prison. — Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/RSJ, GMA News