Sorsogon City - For protesting against new policies of the jail warden some forty-nine inmates of the Sorsogon Provincial Jail were now starving after their food ration was stopped on orders of Jail Warden Josefina Lacdang.

        For three days now the forty-nine inmates of the provincial jail who were confined at the second floor of thew facility have not had any food ration and their water supply and electricity were also cut off.

        Reports said two aging inmates, Antonio Janoras,74, and Amador Jufalsa, 72, were already hospitalized after they complained of dizziness and stomach ache as a result of three days without enough food and water.

        But Senior Jail Guard Florencio Escote said the they did not bring the two elderlies to the hospital as they already felt better after they were allowed to eat Friday morning.

        The provincial jail has a total of 302 inmates, most of them were confined at the ground floor.

        The inmates launched a noise barrage last Wednesday morning in protest of Lacdang’s newly imposed policy banning visitors on Thursdays and Fridays and prohibiting children below seven years old from visiting the inmates.

        The inmates called for the relief of Lacdang accusing her of being inhuman in the treatment of the prisoners.

        Inmates at the ground level of the facility, however, discontinued with the noise barrage at lunch time on Wednesday while those at the second floor continued with the protest.

        It prompted Lacdang to order the caterer to stop the food ration to them.

        At the height of the noise barrage on Tuesday some jail guards fired shots on the air hoping to scare the inmates.

        The inmates threw bottles and glasses at the walkway of the jail as they continued with the protest.

        Rudy Sumalinog, the spokesman of the inmates, said the ban on visitors for two days and the ban on children below seven years old were too harsh for them as it was their only time to interact with their family.

        He said they were seeking a dialog with the jail warden but they were ignored.

        He also denied allegations of the jail management that they went on a voluntary hunger strike saying it was the warden who denied them food.

        Lacdang, a retired policewoman, could not be reached for comment as she was always out of her office while her mobile phone was always out of contact.

        Nelly Carpio, the food caterer of the jail facility, confirmed to Bicol Mail that Lacdang indeed ordered them not to supply food to the inmates at the second floor although they were preparing food for all the prisoners.

        Carpio said they would just wait for Lacdang’s order to resume with the rationing to the protesting inmates.

        German Hernandez, one of the protesting inmates, appealed to Executive Judge Jose Madrid to look into their plight.

        Director Pelagio Senar of the Commission on Human Rights had sent investigators to the provincial jail to look into the situation and try to resolve the issue.

        Gov. Raul Lee had also given assurance that he would look into the problem.

        The provincial jail was being maintained by the provincial government.