According to Col. James Goforth, the director of the Surigao del Sur police provincial office, 11 inmates — all members of the Communist Party's armed wing New People's Army — attempted to escape from the Lianga Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) at around 6:35 a.m. (22:35 GMT Saturday).
Warning shots were fired as the escapees rushed to the main gate of the prison compound.
"As the inmates disregarded the warning shots, the BJMP personnel were forced to fire at the fleeing inmates," Goforth told the news agency.
Three prisoners died on the site, with another two taken to a hospital. One of those hospitalised was declared dead on arrival, while the other is undergoing treatment.