Philippine gangs ink over tattoos to combat jail violence

MANILA (AFP): Heavily tattooed Philippine prisoners wince in pain as fellow inmates use improvised tattooing machines to cover up gang symbols -- an effort to reduce jail violence that sceptics say is only skin-deep.

Deadly clashes between rival clans are common in the country's notoriously overcrowded and under-resourced jails, where belonging to a gang can be a lifeline to food, medicine and protection.