pahinungod behind bars

Boluntarismo sa QuezBoluntarismo sa QuezBoluntarismo sa QuezBoluntarismo sa QuezBoluntarismo sa Quezon City on City on City on City on City Jai lJai lJai lJai lJai l

P a h i n u n g d B e h i n d B a r s:P a h i n u n g d B e h i n d B a r s:P a h i n u n g d B e h i n d B a r s:P a h i n u n g d B e h i n d B a r s:P a h i n u n g d B e h i n d B a r s:Boluntarismo sa QuezBoluntarismo sa QuezBoluntarismo sa QuezBoluntarismo sa QuezBoluntarismo sa Quezon City Jailon City Jailon City Jailon City Jailon City Jail

PPPPPahinungd Behind Bahinungd Behind Bahinungd Behind Bahinungd Behind Bahinungd Behind Barsarsarsarsars



UgnaUgnaUgnaUgnaUgnayyyyyan ng Pan ng Pan ng Pan ng Pan ng Pahinungd-Dilimanahinungd-Dilimanahinungd-Dilimanahinungd-Dilimanahinungd-Diliman

Opisina ng ChanselorOpisina ng ChanselorOpisina ng ChanselorOpisina ng ChanselorOpisina ng Chanselor

Unibersidad ng PilipinasUnibersidad ng PilipinasUnibersidad ng PilipinasUnibersidad ng PilipinasUnibersidad ng Pilipinas

Diliman, LDiliman, LDiliman, LDiliman, LDiliman, Lunsod Quezunsod Quezunsod Quezunsod Quezunsod Quezononononon

22222000000000011111



Karapatan sa Paglalathala 2001

Ugnayan ng Pahinungd-Diliman

Opisina ng Chanselor

Coral Bldg. Lakandula cor Delos Reyes Sts.

Unibersidad ng Pilipinas

Diliman, Lunsod Quezon

ISBN 971-92208-2-1

Ma. TherMa. TherMa. TherMa. TherMa. Theresa L. De Villaesa L. De Villaesa L. De Villaesa L. De Villaesa L. De Villa

LLLLLedivina Vedivina Vedivina Vedivina Vedivina V. Cario. Cario. Cario. Cario. Cario

Mga Patnugot

Ma. Abigail S. MerMa. Abigail S. MerMa. Abigail S. MerMa. Abigail S. MerMa. Abigail S. Mercadocadocadocadocado

Konsepto at Disenyo ng Aklat

AnthonAnthonAnthonAnthonAnthony John R. By John R. By John R. By John R. By John R. Balisialisialisialisialisi

Dibuho sa Pabalat

MarMarMarMarMarco Rco Rco Rco Rco Ruben Tuben Tuben Tuben Tuben T. Malto II. Malto II. Malto II. Malto II. Malto II

Mga Ilustrasyon

Nilimbag ng Regan Printers


TTTTTo those who seek to understando those who seek to understando those who seek to understando those who seek to understando those who seek to understand

FFFFF. L. Jocano, . L. Jocano, . L. Jocano, . L. Jocano, . L. Jocano, Slum As A WSlum As A WSlum As A WSlum As A WSlum As A Waaaaay Of Lify Of Lify Of Lify Of Lify Of Lifeeeee, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1999997777755555

This book has been grThis book has been grThis book has been grThis book has been grThis book has been greatly inspireatly inspireatly inspireatly inspireatly inspired bed bed bed bed by the wy the wy the wy the wy the wororororords of Drds of Drds of Drds of Drds of Dr. F. F. F. F. Felipe Jocanoelipe Jocanoelipe Jocanoelipe Jocanoelipe Jocano

because wbecause wbecause wbecause wbecause we beliee beliee beliee beliee believvvvve understanding is the pre understanding is the pre understanding is the pre understanding is the pre understanding is the premise of an underemise of an underemise of an underemise of an underemise of an undertaking. Thistaking. Thistaking. Thistaking. Thistaking. This

time, hotime, hotime, hotime, hotime, howwwwweeeeevvvvvererererer, this book is dedicated..., this book is dedicated..., this book is dedicated..., this book is dedicated..., this book is dedicated...

to those who seek to understand... thrto those who seek to understand... thrto those who seek to understand... thrto those who seek to understand... thrto those who seek to understand... through vough vough vough vough volunteerism.olunteerism.olunteerism.olunteerism.olunteerism.

A. S. MerA. S. MerA. S. MerA. S. MerA. S. Mercado, cado, cado, cado, cado, PPPPPahinungd Dilimanahinungd Dilimanahinungd Dilimanahinungd Dilimanahinungd Diliman, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2000000000011111


PPPPPaunang Salitaaunang Salitaaunang Salitaaunang Salitaaunang Salitaiii

Napakaraming paraan upang maging boluntir sa Pahinungd Diliman. At kadalasan, maramiang nahihikayat maging Pahinungd sa ilalim ng progamang Social Welfare, kung saan mgabata ang kalimitang pinaglilingkuran, o di kaya ay sa Ecology Camp, upang magbigay halaga sa

pagpapanatili ng kaayusan ng kapaligiran. Pagkatapos ng kanilang kolehiyo, marami ring mga UP

gradweyt ang umaasang maging Gurong Pahinungd, sa hangarin nilang maglingkod sa ibayong pook

sa pamamagitan ng pagtuturo. Subalit kung minsan, may iilan din namang mga estudyante at guro ng

Unibersidad ang nangarap magbigay tulong sa paraang alam at kaya nila sa mga taong kalimitan ay

tinutukoy na salot sa lipunan. Ang mga taong binabansagang kriminal ng karamihan ang ninais

paglingkuran ng QuezQuezQuezQuezQuezon City Jail Pron City Jail Pron City Jail Pron City Jail Pron City Jail Projectojectojectojectoject at ito ang simulain ng aming kuwento.

Madaling maintindihan ng iba kung bakit kailangang tulungan ang mga batang may malubhang

sakit o di kaya ay napabayaan na ng kani-kanilang pamilya. Alam din ng karamihan sa atin kung bakit

dapat nating bigyan ng maagap na atensiyon ang ating kapaligiran. Naniniwala ang karamihan sa atin

sa kahalagahan ng edukasyon kung kayat kinakailangan ng marami pang dedikadong guro tungo sa

pagpapaunlad ng kaalaman. Ngunit, malimit ay mahirap maintindihan kung bakit kinakailangan ding

bigyan ng pansin ang mga pangangailangan ng mga taong nakakulong sa preso.

Sa pagbuo ng PPPPPahinungd Behind Bahinungd Behind Bahinungd Behind Bahinungd Behind Bahinungd Behind Bars: Boluntarismo sa Quezars: Boluntarismo sa Quezars: Boluntarismo sa Quezars: Boluntarismo sa Quezars: Boluntarismo sa Quezon City Jail,on City Jail,on City Jail,on City Jail,on City Jail, mithiin namin sa

Pahinungd, kasama ang mga nagpasimuno sa adhikaing ito, lahat ng mga boluntir sa programa, at

mga preso sa QC Jail, ang magdulot ng kakaibang pagtanaw sa mga bilanggo at sa kanilang pamumuhay

sa loob. Pangarap din namin na maipakilala ang mga tao sa likod ng katagang preso at mag-udyok

ng panibagong pang-unawa sa kanila at sa iba pang katulad nila. Sa paraang ito, layunin din namin na

ipaunawa sa inyong mambabasa kung bakit pinili naming maglingkod sa mga taong lubos na

kinamumuhian at kinatatakutan ng marami.

Karamihan sa mga boluntir sa QC Jail Project ay sumali dahil ginusto nilang tahakin ang kakaibang

landas ng paglilingkod. Unique kasi ang kalimitang bansag sa programang ito o di kaya ay matapang

o brave ang pagtingin ng iba sa mga nagboboluntir dito. Mayroon din namang naging bahagi ng

programa dahil nakita nila ang kahalagahan ng paglilingkod kapalit ng pagsulat ng research paper para

sa kanilang kurso o sa pamamagitan ng Service Learning Option. Sinikap ng mga boluntir na ito

(kasama ng ilang preso at dating bilanggo na ngayon ay nakalaya na) na isulat ang kanilang karanasan

sa loob upang maibahagi ang kanilang mga natutunan bilang boluntir (at bilanggo) sa QC Jail at

magbigay linaw sa mga bagay na mahirap maintindihan ng karamihan. Sakop ng mga nailathalang

kuwento ang mga gawaing Pahinungd sa Quezon City Jail mula taong 1997 hanggang 2001.

Makatulong sana ang lathalaing ito upang ating higit na makilala ang mga taong madalas ay

pagkaitan ng kinakailangang pang-unawa at makita rin kung paano maiiugnay ang mga natutunan sa

klasrum sa labas nito.


MensaheMensaheMensaheMensaheMensahe v

To our dear readers

Producing a book on the impact of a program which some consider insignificant to the academic life of the students and faculty is indeed no mean task. But with the inspiration,support, and steadfastness of the student and faculty volunteers, and that of the coordinator the

book is here a record of the seven-year experiences of working and learning with the QC Jail

inmates, officials and other volunteers.

This book is a manifesto of the commitment and dedication of people in the University who

have actualized one of the Universitys mission serving the people.

We would like to thank the following volunteers for making the QC Jail Program one of the

strongest programs of Pahinungod Diliman.

AbbAbbAbbAbbAbby Mery Mery Mery Mery Mercadocadocadocadocado, the coordinator, for keeping faith in the program and infecting the volunteers

with commitment and belief in the value of human dignity;

Maam LMaam LMaam LMaam LMaam Leddy Carioeddy Carioeddy Carioeddy Carioeddy Cario and Maam Maricon AlfMaam Maricon AlfMaam Maricon AlfMaam Maricon AlfMaam Maricon Alfiler iler iler iler iler for initiating the program and maintaining

the interest and enthusiasm in serving one of the marginalized sectors of society and in living the

principle of good public governance;

MarMarMarMarMarge Pge Pge Pge Pge Pambidambidambidambidambid, the first coordinator, for doing the spadework (initial meetings, coordinating

with partners, preparing documentation, etc.)

Sol Iglesias Sol Iglesias Sol Iglesias Sol Iglesias Sol Iglesias and Anne BAnne BAnne BAnne BAnne Barlis arlis arlis arlis arlis for providing the initiative by making the initial visits thus the

opportunity to help;

Sir OskSir OskSir OskSir OskSir Oskee Fee Fee Fee Fee Ferrerrerrerrerrer er er er er and Maam GrMaam GrMaam GrMaam GrMaam Grace Dace Dace Dace Dace Dalisaalisaalisaalisaalisayyyyy, previous Diliman directors who provided initial

motivation and assistance in all possible forms;

AAAAAttyttyttyttytty. Alber. Alber. Alber. Alber. Albert Muyt Muyt Muyt Muyt Muyooooottttt and the stafstafstafstafstaff of the Institute of Human Righf of the Institute of Human Righf of the Institute of Human Righf of the Institute of Human Righf of the Institute of Human Rights, College of Lats, College of Lats, College of Lats, College of Lats, College of Law w w w w for the

fruitful sessions with inmates and volunteers;

Diliman fDiliman fDiliman fDiliman fDiliman facultyacultyacultyacultyaculty: (NCPAG Erwin Alampay, Minerva Baylon, Edna Co, Lily Domingo; CSSP

Mark Reese; CHE Bianca Villarino, Mila Querubin) for inspiring their students to make their

learnings more meaningful;


Student vStudent vStudent vStudent vStudent volunteers olunteers olunteers olunteers olunteers from the following Diliman colleges: CAL, CHK, College of Music, CHE,

CSSP, NCPAG, College of Law for keeping the program dynamic, vibrant and relevant;

FrFrFrFrFr. T. T. T. T. Tononononony Ranada y Ranada y Ranada y Ranada y Ranada of PRESO Foundation for maintaining the network and believing in the UP

Pahinungod;

The QC GoQC GoQC GoQC GoQC Govvvvvernment ernment ernment ernment ernment thru then Mayor Ismael Mathay Jr., for providing the moral support;

The officials and staff of the BurBurBurBurBureau of Jail Management and Peau of Jail Management and Peau of Jail Management and Peau of Jail Management and Peau of Jail Management and Penologyenologyenologyenologyenology, and the QC JailQC JailQC JailQC JailQC Jail

wwwwwararararardens dens dens dens dens (past and present) for believing in the program and the volunteers;

RaRaRaRaRaymund Narymund Narymund Narymund Narymund Naragagagagag or KKKKKuyuyuyuyuya Raa Raa Raa Raa Raymund ymund ymund ymund ymund for the steadfast support and belief in the utter goodness of

the humankind;

Zak, VZak, VZak, VZak, VZak, Venus, Carlin, Hazenus, Carlin, Hazenus, Carlin, Hazenus, Carlin, Hazenus, Carlin, Hazel, Janice, Horel, Janice, Horel, Janice, Horel, Janice, Horel, Janice, Horace, Gloria, Jerlyn, Detace, Gloria, Jerlyn, Detace, Gloria, Jerlyn, Detace, Gloria, Jerlyn, Detace, Gloria, Jerlyn, Det and the other volunteers for

staying on and believing in volunteerism as a significant part of their growth as students and human

beings;

TTTTTuni uni uni uni uni and Mar Mar Mar Mar Marccccc for taking on the challenge of doing the significant other tasks to meet the

deadline and have this volume out on schedule;

Sa lahat ng pangklahat ng pangklahat ng pangklahat ng pangklahat ng pangkat sa QCJailat sa QCJailat sa QCJailat sa QCJailat sa QCJail, maraming salamat sa inyong taos-pusong pagtulong, pakikiisa,

pakikibalikat, at paniniwala sa kabutihang loob ng kapwa.

Sa stafstafstafstafstaff ng Pf ng Pf ng Pf ng Pf ng Pahinungod Diliman (noon at ngaahinungod Diliman (noon at ngaahinungod Diliman (noon at ngaahinungod Diliman (noon at ngaahinungod Diliman (noon at ngayyyyyon)on)on)on)on) sa masaya at makabuluhang talakayan sa

samut saring problema at hamon sa pagpapadaloy ng mga programa;

Sa administradministradministradministradministrasyasyasyasyasyon ng UP Dilimanon ng UP Dilimanon ng UP Dilimanon ng UP Dilimanon ng UP Diliman, sa patuloy ng suporta at paniniwala sa kahalagahan ng

Ugnayan ng Pahinungod sa Unibersidad;

Sa inyong lahat at sa mga di nabanggit ngunit naging malaking bahagi sa aming patuloy na paglago

MARAMING SMARAMING SMARAMING SMARAMING SMARAMING SALAMAALAMAALAMAALAMAALAMAT MULI -T MULI -T MULI -T MULI -T MULI -

BUONG PUSONG INIHAHANDOG ANG LIBRBUONG PUSONG INIHAHANDOG ANG LIBRBUONG PUSONG INIHAHANDOG ANG LIBRBUONG PUSONG INIHAHANDOG ANG LIBRBUONG PUSONG INIHAHANDOG ANG LIBRONG ITONG ITONG ITONG ITONG ITO SO SO SO SO SA INYA INYA INYA INYA INYONG LAHAONG LAHAONG LAHAONG LAHAONG LAHATTTTT.....

TTTTTerererereret L. de Villaet L. de Villaet L. de Villaet L. de Villaet L. de Villa

DisyDisyDisyDisyDisyembrembrembrembrembre 2e 2e 2e 2e 2000000000011111


Ledivina V. CarioLLLLLessons fressons fressons fressons fressons from Prisonom Prisonom Prisonom Prisonom Prison

Since 1997, the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod has been sending volunteers into Quezon City Jail asparalegals, literacy tutors, and leadership training facilitators. Among the volunteers arestudents who take the Service Learning Option in my Administrative Ethics class. Through SLO,

students learn while they serve and serve while they learn. I grade them on the basis of how better

they have understood Immanuel Kant, Socrates, and other ethical philosophers because they have

made Quezon City Jail their teacher. I assess how much they have learned about Public Administra-

tion and Governance by serving in the Jail. I do not judge how well they serve; that is between them,

the inmates they serve, and God. But I am confident of the quality of their service, based on the

feedback I receive from the inmates and the Pahinungod office, and what I see of their developing

personhood.

Last Monday, the Diliman Pahinungod office sent me the first 16 articles for our book on Quezon

City Jail. These are the students reflections and assessments of their experience as pahinungods - a

Cebuano term that is the closest Filipino equivalent to the word oblation. To be a pahinungod is to

make an offering of self, and is an iskolar ng bayans attempt to be the living answer to Rizals

question: where are the youth who will sacrifice their golden hours for the good of their country?

These pahinungods, these children of the Oblation say as did Isaiah: here we are, send us.

Since the Church of the Risen Lord is embarking on a prison ministry, I thought it opportune to

share some of the lessons we have learned from being a volunteer batang city jail for a semester. It

may also answer some questions I have heard from some of our members and other people from UP

O Lord, our Lord, how marvelous is thy name in all the earth

When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon andthe stars which thou has ordained,

What is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, thatthou visitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and has crownedhim with glory and honor

Psa. 8: 1-8.

vii


about why we should go to QC Jail - or any other jail for that matter - at all.

I was in prison and you visited me.

The first reason is the biblical injunction about serving the least of our brethren. A Catholic

priest who heads the PRESO Foundation, a multi-sectoral NGO that focuses on prisoners rehabilita-

tion, Fr. Tony Ranada, puts the issue succinctly: a jail is primarily a place of the poor. Most inmates of

QC Jail are people awaiting trial. A small group is charged with non-bailable offenses. The bigger

percentage would not be there at all if they had any money for bail. If your offense is bailable, you will

not suffer staying with 1,500 other people in an area meant for 600. You will not sleep on a mat

where your half-stretched arms touch the bed above you, which (by the way) has two other beds

above it. You will not choose to subsist on a food allowance of P30 a day, eating your slop within a few

feet of the toilet. You will not want to clean that toilet just to get a share of the food that other

inmates receive from their visitors. But you will have no choice, if you are poor.

Innocent or guilty, is this any way to treat a human being?

As in the outside world, where there is poverty, inequality and injustice follow. We are all aware

of a famous prisoner whose major complaint is the lack of curtains in his Fort Sto. Domingo bunga-

low. In QC Jail, while the average prisoner sleeps in a quadruple-decker, the leader of a cell gets to

cordon off as much as a fourth of that cell for his living quarters - where he can put his electric fan,

tv, stereo, and sometimes also his wife and children. He is regularly visited by a lawyer and he never

misses a court hearing.

Meanwhile, the rest of the inmates dont even know the status of their case. This is why they

need paralegals. It is the pahinungods who get their case numbers and then go through the labyrinth

of the bureaucracy. From the warden and jail personnel who sometimes intentionally miss telling the

inmates that they have a hearing today because the jail does not have a vehicle to take them to court.

From the public attorneys who have time to play poker in their offices but not the time to work on

their cases or talk with their clients. Then there are the judges who treat the case perfunctorily

because the accused are poor and ignorant anyway.

Somehow, although these experiences are duplicated many times, the pahinungods do not end

up disillusioned. Instead, they come to me with eyes shining when they are able to get a case moving,

or get the family of the inmates to visit. Or better yet, when they are able to have an inmate released.

Nakapagpalaya ako! They exult, echoing Mel Gibsons cry in Braveheart: FREEDOM!

This happens sometimes because the pahinungods interest has prodded the bureaucracy to

conclude the case. Sometimes, it is because their research showed that the person has served time


in prison longer than his actual punishment had he been convicted. For instance, one inmate was

released after being in prison for two years, when the maximum sentence for his offense - had he

been found guilty - would have been only one year. And he staunchly maintains he is innocent so he

should not even have served a day in jail.

Let me not romanticize the prisoners because they are not necessarily faultless. One student was

able to get an inmate out within the first six weeks of his pahinungod service, only to meet him again

just before the semester ended, because, alas, the man was caught in a robbery again. Another

student learned an unlikely explanation for recidivism: some inmates value freedom less than three

meals and a roof over their heads. The jail is crowded, dirty, hot, smelly, has leaking roofs, riots at

the drop of a hat. The food is dismal. Can you imagine people choosing that intentionally because it

is better than what they have outside? This also explains why there are so many children inside the

jail. When a parent is detained, visitors would sneak in the children so they can also have free board

and lodging. After that, the guards would simply ignore them in the jail, although if you ask them

officially, they will swear that children are not allowed even to visit, let alone live inside the cells.

The other ills of the outside world are magnified inside the jail. There are innocents who

become criminals in jail - raping or harassing females and homosexuals, alleviating their loneliness by

sniffing drugs, fighting their powerlessness by being quarrelsome, or joining violent gangs.

But the jail is not a microcosm of society only in the negative way. Because there are many

examples of nobility among the inmates we have met. Raymond Narag is a graduate of my College

who has been languishing in jail since 1995 when he was accused of the murder of Dennis Venturina,

then the chair of our Student Council. Dennis was a sure cum laude, the only son of average-earning

professionals, the hope of his family for a better future. He had joined a fraternity where he was

dubbed as an intellectual - as against their warrior class - as a way of ensuring that future. Raymonds

biography is practically the same, except that instead of being the victim of a fraternity rumble, he

became the accused. It is taking him more than six years to prove his innocence. Charged with a

non-bailable offense, he was committed to Quezon City Jail in 1995. Throughout his confinement,

Raymond has made himself useful. He was acquitted in the Student Disciplinary Tribunal but was

charged in court anyway. UP refused to graduate him cum laude until he was cleared in court. He

had nevertheless enrolled in the Open University for advanced masters degree credits. He has been

the mainstay of the leadership, literacy and skills training programs in the jail. He helps train the

Pahinungod paralegals. He solicited an XT computer so that he could improve the prisons record

system. In one of my visits, one nun was so overwhelmed by the magnitude and quality of Raymonds

volunteerism that she hugged him and said: Oh Raymond. I hope you never leave us. (Thats the

worst thing you can say to a prisoner!)

There are other heartening examples of the best of humanity in the jail. Once I attended the

closing of a training program there. I was almost irritated by the Mayora of the Jail, a native of

ix


Cagayan de Oro City, charged with estafa, who had been asked to give the closing prayer. She kept

badgering me on what to say, where to stand, whether to look at the audience or not, and so forth

and so on. In my most patient style, I answered her questions, but I silently thought: KSP, kulang sa

pansin yata ito. However, she surprised me with her beautiful, heartfelt prayer in perfect Tagalog,

ending with sa ngalan ng aming manunubos na si Kristo Jesus. Then she sat down beside me and

asked if what she did was all right. I was genuinely touched by her prayer, and said so. Then she told

me: I was so afraid I might offend someone. You see, I am a Muslim.

Such displays of tolerance and respect for anothers religion are sorely needed by the outside

world in these trying times, when Muslims feel the heat from even devout Christians, who label all of

them as bandits and Abu Sayyah, allowing the age-old prejudices to come through without any

apology. We have much to learn from this inmate. And from many other inmates, who because of

poverty, or passion, or a failing of the social structure, are now in the city jail. There, but for the

grace of God, go you and I.

And if you feel belittled by being placed in the same category as prisoners, let me recall for you

the analogy of Dwight Moody, the famous preacher. According to him, the difference between our

sins and theirs is similar to the view one gets from the Empire State Building, or the Petronas Tower

in Malaysia, now the tallest building in the world. When you look down from the top of these

buildings to the people below, you can barely make out the difference between a Shaquille ONeal

and a little boy, or between a Lincoln Continental and a Volkswagen. He said that is like the view of

God about our badness - or goodness. From the commanding heights, we all look like ants. It does

not matter if we are supposed to be saint or sinner by the standards of the world. Judge not, the

Bible says, that ye be not judged For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

The prison allows us to appreciate this truth, even as we learn, as we meet them close up, that

there is a basic goodness and humanity in everyone.

As you have done this to the least of these my brethren,you have done it unto me.

But what is it that we do to our brethren? Jeffrey Roden, a former inmate and now my student

assistant, describes the situation in this way: The Quezon City jail is where one can find the

gargantuan problems of this country, perhaps in a miniscule scale, but no less systemic and

systematic. It is one big theater where one can see all the problems of our society encapsulated in a

diorama of sorts There are human rights abuses, inadequate food, water and shelter space. Also,

there are problems in garbage collection, division and gang competition. Of course, the heart of all

these problems is the ignorance of inmates being continuously exploited by the corruption and

unscrupulousness of the officials.


I remember it being said in the movie Con Air, that in order to measure how civilized a country

is, you merely have to look at the way it treats its prisoners.

By that measure, just how civilized, how Christian, are we?

Where are the youth who will sacrifice their golden hours?

Jeffrey has discussed the worlds usual behavior towards the jail. Now let me tell you about the

people who minister to the inmates. They are young and adventurous, usually idealistic, but not

always. Every semester I read in their ref lection papers confessions of the wrong things that led them

to volunteer to the Quezon City Jail. Some join because their crush is joining, and it offers many

occasions to get to hold her hand when she is scared by the tough inmates. Some volunteer to get on

the good graces of the teacher. Some think it is easier to do than a term paper from which I exempt

all service learners. By the time they are climbing the stairs of Quezon City Hall for the third time on

the same day, they know it is much more difficult than reading tomes in the library. But at that point,

they are already hooked, by the sob stories of the prisoners - which may or may not be true - and by

the challenge that replaces their fear of the jail. They may not have volunteered for the right reasons,

but they come out of jail voluntarism a different person.

I have learned from Virginia Davide - the recently retired head of NEDAs voluntary service

agency and the wife of Filipino of the Year Chief Justice Hilario Davide - that one should never worry

why people volunteer. Gigi further says: Worry only if the experience does not change them. And in

the space of one semester, they do change.

No one leaves the pahinungod jail service without having learned for themselves the great lesson

from the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr: Justice which is only justice soon degenerates into some-

thing less than justice. It must be saved by something which is more than justice. Even in the cleanest

and least corrupt prisons, where strict adherence to the letter of the law masquerades as justice, it

must be saved by something which is more than justice. This is what Fr. Brian Wren calls loving

justice, justice that is not aimed at avenging the wrong done against society, but instead lifts up its

perpetrators, recognizes their humanity, and sees in them the face of God. Let me paraphrase what

one of my students, JunJun Binay, said he learned from Quezon City Jail. You remember, he told

us, that practically alone in this class, I defended the death penalty as both legal and moral in the

beginning of this semester. But having served at QC Jail, I find I cannot allow any one of them - even

the most ruthless - to be killed by the state. Our justice must be rehabilitative justice.

Others report being more serene about their lives and more able to face problems, after due

comparison of their little problems - lovers quarrels, disputes with parents, the dilemma of study

versus gimmicks - with the enormity of imprisonment. Many mention getting from the fortitude of

xi


the inmates the courage to confront the uncaring lawyers and wardens as well as the bullies of their

own lives. Many learn first hand what public interest means and the need for public service reform,

as they see up close the inequality and unfairness of the social structure.

But then, you protest, you are able to help only a few people. Let me tell you a story I first heard

from Lorraine Salazar, a pahinungod in another project.

A woman walked along a beach for her exercise, back and forth, one kilometer each way. The

beach had many starfishes that struggled on the sands; if they cannot get back to the water, they

would die. As she walked, she would throw every starfish on her path back to the sea. Daily she

would do this and daily, there would be new starfishes. A friend of hers laughed at her efforts,

ridiculing her for the futility of it all. You can never save all the starfishes, her friend said. But, she

replied as she rescued yet another starfish, it is important to this starfish.

It is important to each human being we touch.

ConclusionsConclusionsConclusionsConclusionsConclusions

So this is what the jail has taught us. First that it is a microcosm of society, where in a small

crowded space gather all the banes of our existence - poverty, inequality, injustice, enslavement,

abuse. But it is also like society as many people rise above these ills - where we find inmates and

volunteers giving us models of tolerance, compassion, caring, justice, service, love.

Second, it mirrors what we make of our society. We now think of hospitals as centers of

wellness because although we treat the sick there, their main function must be to prevent further

pain and misery. Can we think of our prisons as centers of justice, where, although we put there

those whom we think have broken the law, their main function must be to prevent further criminal-

ity, to rehabilitate those who have been wrong, and not to allow to sink into evil those who have been

wrongly accused? But how many of us care that our civilization and Christianity are so poorly

mirrored in our prisons?

Third, when we serve in the jail, we become better people, not because we find out how terrible

and how sinful the inmates there are, but because the jail and the prisoners themselves are good

teachers. They show us courage and patience, they warn us to guard our anger, they teach repen-

tance and forgiveness, they show us kindness, what it means to be human. And as we criticize the

social structure and cultural weaknesses that are perpetrated in the jail, we understand that we

cannot be whole if we let revenge, corruption and abuse to ran our lives and our country. The public

interest demands our compassion. The quest for justice calls for our love. We become more fully

human as we serve the least of these our brethren. This is why Jesus makes visiting prisoners a

measure of whether we really follow him or not.


Our text asks: What is man, what are human beings, that you God, are mindful of them? The

prison ministry goes to the core of this question as it teaches us that every person, in jail or out, is

worth our attention, is worth our loving justice. Because every person, not just the so-called

righteous, meaning those who have never been caught, all of us sons and daughters of Adam and

Eve, were made a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor.

O Lord, our Lord, how marvelous is your name in all the earth! Amen.

Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for youfrom the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave memeat. I was thirsty and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger, and ye took mein. Naked, and ye clothed me. I was sick, and ye visited me. I was in prison,and ye came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying:

Lord, when saw we thee a stranger and took thee in? Or naked, andclothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, yehave done it unto me.

Matt. 25: 31-40.

xiii


Mga NilalamanMga NilalamanMga NilalamanMga NilalamanMga NilalamanPaunang Salita iii

Mensahe v

Lessons from prison vii

Mga Kuwentong Pahinungd 1The beginnings/ Ako bilang batang city jail/ Si Aiza/ Salamat po!

Attorney/ Service at commitment/ Why volunteer?

Detinadong komunidad/ Ang aking karanasang Pahinungd sa loob

Beyond these four walls/ Cheyrman/ Tulong/ A sense of freedom

Mga Kuwento Sa Loob 41Bilanggo/ The practice/A jail love story

Pangkatan ka ba?/ Rancho... atbpang salitang loob

Filipino values that thrive at the QC Jail

Mga Kuwento Sa Logbook at Panulaan 77Of skies, jails, moon and freedom

Si Panyang/ Si Gorio

Feelings/ An expected visit

Hiram na buhay/ Logged notes

x v


1

The beginnings

Ako bilang batang city jail

Si Aiza

Salamat po!

Attorney

Service at commitment

Why volunteer?

Detinadong komunidad

Ang aking karanasang Pahinungd sa loob

Beyond these four walls

Cheyrman

Tulong

A sense of freedom

Mga Kuwentong Pahinungd


The beginningsThe beginningsThe beginningsThe beginningsThe beginnings

What may have started as a U.P. tragedy resulted in a program that offers voluntaryassistance from the University constituents to one of the most misjudged sectors ofsocietythe people of Quezon City Jail.

On Dec. 6, 1994, Scintilla Juris members allegedly attacked Sigma Rhoan Dennis Venturina with

baseball bats and lead pipes while he was having lunch at a popular barbecue kitchenette behind the

UP main library. According to reports, Venturina fell into a coma after sustaining severe concussions

and eventually died. Dennis Venturina was then a senior Public Administration student and chair of

the College Student Council. Both victims of this tragic incidentVenturina and the person who was

positively identified to be one of the main suspects are students of Public Administration.

Two years after the death of Venturina, Dr. Maricon Alfiler, Secretary of the then College of

Public Administration, together with her husband and members of the College Student CouncilSol

Iglesias and Anne Barlis, decided to visit Raymund Narag. Narag is a UP-CPA graduate and one of the

two Scintilla Juris members still awaiting trial in the said jail while their nine other fraternity brothers

who were also involved are now out on bail.

What happened to Dennis was really terrible. It triggered the whole crisis in the College, tapos

matindi... We had to have counselors helping the students processing They were all emotionally

affected by the death of Dennis. Panahon yon ni Dean Tapales and I was the College Secretary, and

as a College Sec, I was close to the student government, the students were coming to me so I

thought we needed a healing process. Dr. Alfiler remembers the tragic incident that prompted her

and the students to visit Narag at the QC Jail.

She further explained, We didnt feel that we should condemn. Tingin namin they (Narag &

Venturina) were both victims of the system that was very violent and macho. Binisita namin si Raymund,

in a way, to bring cheers kasi Christmas season yon, pero providential talaga ang pagkikita namin ni

Fr. Tony. That paved the way for us to team up with the PRESO Foundation.

It was during this historic visit that Dr. Alfiler met Fr. Tony Ranada, the president of PRESO

Foundation. Upon knowing that the University of the Philippines has a volunteer program, Fr.

Ranada challenged the UP community to offer Pahinungd work to the QC Jail. Dr. Alfiler proposed

It may not be known to most of the present volunteers, but the Quezon City Jail Project would not have become one of

Pahinungds major and longest running programs had not some people had the courage to come up with a different way of serving while

educating at the same time. Get to know these people and their stories that marked the birth of the Quezon City Jail Project.

2


the idea to Dr. Ledivina Cario who was then the System Director of

the Ugnayan ng Pahinungd System and a faculty of the same college.

The latter thought the project may be directly conducted by the CPA

as its Pahinungd project.

Dr. Cario went to the jail upon the invitation of Dr. Alfiler. She

recalls her first visit and how she was able to distinguish Narag, though

she had never met him before, amidst the crowds of people in the jail

compound.

I remember there was this distinguished-looking man, standing

straight, wearing a white shirt. Upon seeing him, I immediately knew

it was Raymund. Nevertheless, I was shocked to know that I was right!

I thought, how could I make out a UP student in such circumstances?

Parang di yata tama yon, Dr. Cario ends with an amazed laugh.

She recalled her first visit being on an Ash Wednesday so there

was a mass going on in the jails chapel. Dr. Carino disclosed that

although she was prepared for the worst, she wasnt ready to see

what she witnessed the minute she entered the jail premises.

I saw a big pile of garbage and it was in a place where water was

running through it. I was overcome by the smell. Then there were so

many people roaming around the area. There were children and I

even saw at least three men with dos por dos. It didnt look like a jail

at all! It was more like a town plaza!

Dr. Cario related that as faculty of the College (where both stu-

dent victims of the incident belong), they felt they had the moral

responsibility to deal with the Venturina casefinishing the case and

caring for the accused. Although it worried them what the Venturinas

would think of the idea, they reasoned that they were not proclaiming

the innocence of the accused. But it cannot be denied that it was

Raymunds confinement in that jail that drove us there, Dr. Cario

admitted. She said that Narag is a born leader and that even before

the Pahinungd program had begun he was already trying to start to

serve the inmates.

3


Although initially proposed to be the College of Public Administrations undertaking, the jail

project eventually became one of Pahinungds programs when Dr. Cario brought up the idea to

one of her staff, Margarita Pambid, who became the first coordinator for the project.

Maam Leddy handed me this note about the possibility of a jail program. A few days later, I

found myself writing the concept paper for the QC Jail Project, relates Pambid.

When asked why the five components paralegal, counseling, functional literacy, livelihood and

researchPambid said the inmates were already conducting related activities in the jail to address

these needs. She added that although the inmates expressed their primary need for paralegal assis-

tance, people behind the program also thought to support the functional literacy aspect since they

were already having classes for the interested students. Narag, on the other hand, suggested that

since they had an on-going livelihood program, the inmates asked for assistance in terms of marketing

the finished products. The counseling component evolved way before the Pahinungd program in the

jail has started. A group of UP students from the College of Education majoring in Counseling went

to QC Jail for their practicum through the coordination of Pambid. Narag said that although the

project hadnt been officially launched yet, the inmates were already identifying all the UP students

doing volunteer service in their area as Pahinungds. Hence, during the conceptualization of the

project, the proponents thought to continue the counseling part, too. The project proponents also

anticipated written outputs from the volunteers so they added the research component in the pro-

gram concept. The idea was to collate all the researches that would come out from the project

deemed as helpful in improving the inmates condition and the jail management.

Yet according to the main project proponent, That wasnt the original concept of the program.

Nag-evolve na lang into those five components. Dr. Alfiler disclosed that they initially planned for it

to be a Public Administration project to help the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. She

further revealed, It was meant to be a management structure study, but it evolved because the BJMP

was not open to the idea of opening the records to the students.

Apprehensions concerning the security of those who will volunteer to the project were also

discussed. According to Dr. Cario, The faculty from our College werent worried at all. Ganyan

naman dito sa College, kasi its really for public service. Ako nga yata ang pinakatakot noon. So the

risks or difficulties do not face the faculty, the question was who was going to do it? Nonetheless,

she said that they did consider the security of the volunteers. Therefore, they tapped the office that

heads the jail managementthe Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. According to the Memo-

randum of Agreement signed on October 2,1997, the Bureau, then under the leadership of Col.

Josue Engao, shall ensure and take the lead role in maintaining the security and safety of volun-

teers and provide a safe space for counseling of one or two individuals at a time for the counseling

component of the project among its other agreed responsibilities in the implementation of the

4


program. When this was brought up with Narag, he said even before this official agreement there was already an

understanding among the detainees that they will ensure the security of the volunteers the minute the stepped into

their community.

Other than the BJMP, the MOA for the project also involved

the Quezon City Government signed by then Mayor Ismael

Mathay, and the PRESO Foundation, signed by Fr. Anthony

Ranada. After its launching on September 19, 1997, the QC Jail

Project was turned over to Pahinungd Diliman for its imple-

mentation. Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay, then the Pahinungd

Diliman Director, graciously accepted the challenge and was the

person who supported me in becoming the new coordinator

for the QC Jail Project. The first batch of Pahinungds to the

QC Jail were students of the College of Public Administration.

The CPA-Student Council through Anne Barlis then played a major

role in promoting the project and recruiting volunteers to this

new undertaking. Eventually, Pahinungd Diliman took full con-

trol of the program with minimal support from the CPA-Student

Council.

Since then, the program has blossomed. Dr. Alfiler shared

some of her views why students volunteer to this project.

Ang nakita ko sa mga students, they never realized how

oppressed the members or the people who are in the Quezon

City Jail really are that they are victims of our social system, of

social justice when the students go there, somehow naa-affect

ang kanilang soul their hearts kaya sila pabalik-balik na

nagboboluntir doon. Dr. Cario, on the one hand, believes,

Just being there is a conversion!

Tracing the beginnings of an endeavor serves to remind us

of its significance. Now nearing its fourth year, the Quezon City

Jail Project faces an uncertain future within the University.

Looming questions on its effectiveness and worthiness of imple-

mentation may hamper us as we struggle to meet the increasing

demands of the program, but to all those who seek to under-

stand, we offer you our stories.

5

QC Jail History

The Quezon City Jail was established

during the administration of the late Presi-

dent Manuel L. Quezon in 1935. Located

at Brgy. Kamuning within the Quezon City

Police Force (QCPF) compound, it started

as a reformatory jail for the confinement

of 15-20 offenders. The building made of

wood and nipa initially came about in a

compound with only 1,854.44 sq.m.

In 1947, the Quezon City government

took full control of the jail and was

manned by the QCPF. When RA 6975,

otherwise known as the Department of the

Interior and Local Government (DILG)

Law, which took effect on Jan. 2, 1991, the

Bureau of Jail Management and Penology

under the wardenship of Supt. Temistocles

Jamisolamin formally took over the respon-

sibilities of the administration and super-

vision of the QC Jail operations from the

jurisdiction of the Philippine National Po-

lice. The Jail comprises a total of 40 cells

in the old building. The construction and

the opening of a new building in the area

added 20 more.

Based on troop organization and

equipment, the QC Jail has an actual

strength of 155 BJMP personnel to consti-

tute part of the security, custody and con-

trol of about 2,000 offenders awaiting tri-

als in the different courts of Quezon City.

Ma. Abigail MerMa. Abigail MerMa. Abigail MerMa. Abigail MerMa. Abigail Mercado based on intercado based on intercado based on intercado based on intercado based on intervievievievieviews with Lws with Lws with Lws with Lws with Ledivina Cario, Maricon Alfedivina Cario, Maricon Alfedivina Cario, Maricon Alfedivina Cario, Maricon Alfedivina Cario, Maricon Alfiler & Mariler & Mariler & Mariler & Mariler & Marge Pge Pge Pge Pge Pambidambidambidambidambid


Matapos ang mahabang pagbabalik-tanaw sa mga nangyari mula nang akoy magboluntir saQC Jail Project, ang katagang ito ni Mother Teresa ang unang pumasok sa aking isipan.Dahil kamiy nasa aspektong paralegal pa lamang, mga simpleng bagay lang ang mga ginagawa ng

boluntir. Nagbibigay kami ng form sa mga inmates. Dito nila inilalagay ang mga mahahalagang

impormasyon na kailangan naming malaman tulad ng branch number, kung saan nakabinbin ang kaso

nila, kung ano ang kaso at kung may abugado silang galing sa PAO o kayay pribadong abugado.

Pagkatapos nito ay pupunta kami sa QC Hall of Justice upang alamin ang estado ng kaso, kung kailan

ang huli at susunod na hearing, at iba pang kinakailangang impormasyon ng inmates. Sunod dito ay

babalik kami sa kulungan upang alamin muli ang mga hinaing ng bilanggo tungkol sa kanyang kaso.

Maaari kaming mag-counsel sa bahaging ito pero hindi puwedeng magbigay ng legal advice. Kung

kinakailangan naming makausap ang abugado ng inmate upang tanungin kung nakapag-apply na siya

ng probation o kayay iparating ang mga hinaing ng inmate, ito ay ginagawa namin. Ganyan kadali ang

proseso ng paralegal. Ang problema nga lamang sa aming mga boluntir ay nakakaubos ito ng aming

oras at kung minsan ay dumarating ang pagkapagod. Hindi ko inaalintana ang pagod at oras dahil

mahal ko at masaya ako sa ginagawa ko.

Bakit nga ba ako nag-boluntir? Bakit tuwing Martes at Miyerkules ay nasa QC Jail ako o kayay sa

QC Hall of Justice sa halip na nagpapakasaya o gumagala sa shopping malls tutal ay wala naman akong

klase? Ang pagiging boluntir ko ay nakakapagdulot sa akin ng ligaya na hindi matutumbasan ng panonood

ng sine, pagpunta sa disco o paggala sa mga shopping malls. Ito ang konsepto ng altruismo. Dahil sa

pagmamahal ko sa aking kapwa, may kasiyahan akong nararamdaman kapag tumutulong ako sa

kanila. Wala akong hinihintay na kapalit, pagkilala o kabayaran sa aking ginagawa. Ang tanging

kompensasyon ko lamang ay makitang masaya ang aking mga natutulungan at nararamdaman ko sa

aking sarili na ako ay may silbi at kahit na sa munting paraan ay nakakapagdulot ako ng pagbabago sa

buhay ng ibang tao. Sabi nga ni Charles Walcott, the quality of a mans life is measured by how

deeply he has touched the lives of others.

Sa ating kultura, ang kulungan ay simbolo ng kasamaan, pagdurusa at dito napupunta ang mga

taong halang ang kaluluwa. Ganito kalimitado ang pagtingin natin sa bilangguan kaya kapag nalaman

natin na ang isang tao ay bilanggo o naging bilanggo, nababawasan ang respeto at pagtitiwala natin sa

kanya. Hindi natin nakikita ang katotohanang hindi lahat ng nakapiit ay nagkasala sa batas at ang mga

bilanggo ay nagnanasa rin na magkaroon ng bagong buhay.

AkAkAkAkAko bilang batang city jailo bilang batang city jailo bilang batang city jailo bilang batang city jailo bilang batang city jail

We can do no great thingsonly small things with great love.Mother Teresa

6


Ang pinakamatagal na pagtigil o pamamalagi sa QC Jail ay anim na

taon. Ang mga nahatulan na ng habambuhay na pagkabilanggo at mga

iba pang mabigat na parusa ay nilipat sa Bilibid o iba pang piitan. Sa QC

Jail nakakulong ang mga dinirinig pa ang kaso. Nandito rin ang mga

nahatulan ng anim na buwan hanggang anim na taon at isang araw na

pagkakakulong.

Kung may tinatawag na life after death ay mayroon din life

after jail pero ipinagkakait ito ng lipunan. May paghuhusga sa mga

bilanggo na sila ay masama habambuhay. Kaya karamihan sa mga

bilanggo ay pabalik-balik sa kulungan dahil paulit-ulit nilang ginagawa

ang paglabag sa batas. Ito ay sanhi ng paghuhusga ng ibang tao. Gawin

nating halimbawa sa pagpasok sa trabaho. Bago ka matanggap sa

trabaho ay kailangan mong makakuha ng kung anu-anong clearance.

Kapag ang isang tao ay may record na ng pagkakapiit ay mahirap na

siyang makakuha ng trabaho dahil sa prejudice ng ibang tao na

maaaring ulitin niya ang ginawang pagkakasala. Kaya nga may cycle na

ang buhay ng isang inmate. Mapuputol lamang ito kapag ang lipunan

ay magbabago ng pananaw sa mga taong bilanggo. Mangyayari ito

kapag mamamayani ang katarungan ng pagmamahal. Ayon kay Brian

Wren, ang katarungan ng pagmamahal o loving justice ay ang

katarungang walang paghahatol, lakip sa pagkakaibigan, pagmamalasakit

at pagtanggap sa tao bilang tao.

Ang mga nakalaya na sa bilanggo ay nakapagbayad na sa kanilang

kasalanan. Kailangan nila ng bagong buhay. Mahirap mang mangyari

iyon pero kung ang lipunang kanilang babalikan ay tatanggapin muli

sila na ng walang paghahatol, mas madali nilang matatanggal ang bahid

sa kanilang dangal.

Minsan, may nakausap akong inmate na mas bata pa sa akin. Labing-

walong taong gulang pa lamang siya pero naaaninag na sa kanyang

mukha ang kapaguran sa buhay. Inireklamo daw siya ng kanyang amo

ng pagnanakaw. Ang hatol sa kanya ay anim na buwang pagkabilanggo.

Napansin kong hindi siya gaanong nagsasalita. Kung ano ang tanungin

ko ay siya niyang sasagutin at hindi siya nagbibigay ng iba pang

impormasyon. Sa huli ay tinanong ko kung ano ang puwede naming

maitulong sa kanya. Sabi niya ay wala raw. Ang bigat ng loob ko

pagkatapos ko siyang makapanayam. Bakit nga ba ganun ang buhay?

Halos magkasing-edad lang naman kami. Pareho kaming galing ng

7


probinsiya pero ako ay malayang nakakagalaw at magawa ang gusto ko. Samantalang siya ay nakakulong

at halos wala ng pag-asa sa buhay.

Naalala ko tuloy ang teyorya ni John Rawls na Justice as Fairness. Ayon sa kanya, mabibigyan

lamang ng katwiran ang mga di-kapantayan (ng yaman, estado, gahom at kita) kung sila ay pare-

parehong nagbibigay ng pinakamalaking biyaya sa mga kawawa at kaalinsabay ng mga posisyon na

bukas sa lahat naman sa kondisyon ng makatarungang pantay. Nangyayari ba ito sa lipunan natin?

Hindi at malabong mangyari. Laganap ang di-kapantayan sa atin. Ang mga nabibigyan ng mas maraming

biyaya ay mga maykaya dahil sila ang nakapag-aral, mabait, masipag at iba pang magagandang katangian.

Kung may mga posisyon na bukas, ang mga ito ay pabor sa mga mayayaman. Kaya kung minsan ang

kahirapan ang nag-uudyok sa mga tao na gumawa ng masama. Pero hindi dapat ganun ang mangyari.

Ipinanganak tayong pantay-pantay. Sa mata ng Diyos, walang mayaman o mahirap, maganda o pangit.

Lahat tayo ay nabibigyan ng pagkakataon na gumawa ng sarili nating buhay; kaya nga may konsepto

ng human free will. Pero kung hahayaan natin na ang lipunan ang magdidikta sa atin, wala talaga

tayong patutunguhan. Sa lipunan kasi nagkakaroon ng convergence ang lahat ng bagay. Wala itong

ibang direksiyon na pinupuntahan. Kung wala nang masasabing sarili ang isang tao tapos ilagay siya

sa lipunan ng tulad sa atin, mawawala siya sa landas.

Ang mga bilanggo ngayon sa QC Jail ay mga taong ayon sa batas ay nagkasala. Pero bago pa man

nangyari ang ginawa nilang kasalanan ay may konsepto na sila kung ano ang mabuti o masama.

Marahil ang iba sa kanila ay mas pinili ang maging masama kaysa sa mabuti. Marahil ang iba rin ay

napasama dahil sa mga pangyayari o pagkakataon. Ano ngayon ang papel ng boluntir? Nandito kami

upang ipamalas sa kanila na may mga mga tao pang natitira na nagmamahal sa kanila sa kabila ng

pagiging basura sa lipunan. Tutulong kami sa alam naming paraan, gaano man ito kaliit o kababaw,

dahil kami ay naniniwalang may oras pa upang sila ay magbago. Hindi malayong mangyari na kapag

sila ay malaya na, sila ay magiging boluntir din tulad namin.

Tapos na ang SLO sa PA 161 pero hindi dito nagtatapos ang aking pagiging boluntir. Itutuloy ko

pa rin ang adhikain ng QC Jail Project. Maaaring isang taon mula ngayon ay puwede kong ipagmayabang

na ako ay nakatulong upang mapalaya ang sampung bilanggo at lahat sila ay nagbabagong-buhay na.

Sana

Emily B. MaglaEmily B. MaglaEmily B. MaglaEmily B. MaglaEmily B. Maglayyyyyaaaaa

8


Minsan sa buhay ng isang tao ay nakakakita siya ng katapatna nag-iiwan ng malaking impresyon sa kanyang buhay.Maaaring ang taong itoy nagasasalita mula sa kanyang intelek o di

kayay mula sa sariling karanasan na hindi hinahaluan ng anumang

teknikalidad itoy purong usaping buhay lamang. Ako na isang

estudyante ay malimit nang makasalubong ng mga unang tipo na

nagmumulat sa aking kaalaman tungkol sa siyensiya, literatura,

matematika at iba pa. Marami tayong katanungan sa buhay at minsan

ang mga kasagutan ay nanggagaling pa sa mga di-inaasahang tao mga

taong hindi pumunta sa unibersidad para talakayin ang kanilang mga

kuwentong-buhay kundi nagsasalita mula sa sarili nilang leksiyon at

karanasan sa buhay. Nakakalungkot mang isipin, ang mga taong itoy

bihirang marining. Ngayong dumating ang ganitong oportunidad sa

aking buhay, hindi ko na ito pinakawalan.

Aiza ang pangalan ng isa malusog na babae at sa tono ng kanyang

pananalita ay masasabi mong nakapag-aral at maykaya. Kung titingnan

mo ang pisikal niyang kaanyuan, hindi siya kaiba sa atin. Subalit kung

akoy malaya, siyay hindi. Isa siyang preso na bago napasok sa city jail

ay tulad nating mga ordinaryong tao subalit nalihis ang landas marahil

dahil sa kapalaran o sariling gawa o kamalasan hindi ko na inalam.

Bagaman parang pahapyaw at paloko niyang inilahad sa amin ang

kanyang mga karanasan sa Quezon City Jail, makikita mo sa kanyang

mga mata ang kalungkutang bumabalot sa kanyang pagkatao. Malakas

sa ating mga isipan ang konseptong ang mga kulungan ay mundo ng

mga kalalakihan (mans world). Kaya naman bilib ako sa katapangang

ipinamalas ni Aiza bilang babae na harapin ang sitwasyong

kinapapalooban niya.

Ang karanasang ito ay isang pagmumulat para sa akin kaya naman

labis ko itong pinahahalagahan isang pagmumulat sa mas personal na

lebel. Minsan sa kurso ng pagkukuwento ni Aiza, hindi ko maiwasang

ikumpara ang aking sarili sa kanya. Ito ako na nagtataglay ng mas

maraming pribilehiyo sa buhay kaysa sa kanya subalit nakapagtatakang

mas taglay pa niya ang katahimikan sa pag-iisip (peace of mind) kaysa

sa akin. Kung siyay nagpipilit makabilang muli sa galaw ng mga tao sa

daigdig, ako namay nagmumuni-muni sa mga sandaling akoy

Si AizaSi AizaSi AizaSi AizaSi Aiza9


makakapagpahinga mula sa magulong takbo ng buhay sa mundo. At kung nakilala na niya ang

Panginoon doon, ako namay pilit pang naghahanap sa Kanya dito sa labas. Sa mga kuwento niya,

wala raw mayaman at mahirap sa loob, pantay-pantay lang ang lahat at mayroon daw silang mga

organisadong pamunuan na nagsisiguro ng katahimikan at katiwasayan sa loob ng kulungan bagaman

hindi perpekto, mukha bang ideyalistiko? Sila itong itinuturing na delingkuwente ng lipunan subalit

lumalabas na mas mukhang disiplinado pa sila kaysa sa atin na nasa laya na binansagang matitino dahil

hindi naman nakakulong (o baka naman kasi hindi lang nahuhuli). Minsan naiisip ko na marahil labis

ang kontrol niya sa sarili kaysa sa akin dahil mas maliit ang mundong kanyang ginagalawan samantalang

akoy napakalaki at kinakaharap ng mas maraming mga oportunidad na kailangang pagpilian, mga

taong kailangang pakisamahan at mga kaguluhan o kademonyohan na kailangang iwasan. Subalit

maaari akong mamili kung gusto kong harapin ang mundo o hindi, subalit siya, parang wala. Nakita

ko sa kanyang mga mata ang determinasyon para magpatuloy at ipaglaban ang kanyang kalayaan

isang kasayangan ito kung maisip niyang tumalikod sa kanyang sitwasyon. Sabi nila, natutuwa raw sila

sa amin dahil parang mangha kami sa kanilang buhay sa kulungan. Kami rin namay natutuwa sa

kanila dahil ganundin sila sa buhay namin sa laya. Minsan hinahamon pa rin ako ng bilin ni Aiza, mag-

palit-ulo daw kami kahit na isang araw lang sulit kaya?

10

DDDDDannieannieannieannieannievi Vvi Vvi Vvi Vvi V. Castillon. Castillon. Castillon. Castillon. Castillon


IIIII

Panginoon, aming Diyos at Amang lumikha ng lahat, pinupuriat pinasasalamatan Kita sa lahat ng bagay at grasyangipinagkaloob Mo sa akin sa mga panahong inilagi ko dito sa mundo.

Malapit nang matapos ang panahong aking ilalagi sa kolehiyong ito,

ngunit hindi kailanman, at alam kong hindi kailanman matatawaran ng

kahit na ano pang halaga ng salapi ang lahat ng bagay na ginawa Mo

para sa ikabubuti ko. Isa sa mga bagay na iyon Panginoon, ang

pagkakataong ibinigay Ninyo upang maisagawa ko nang maayos at

mahusay ang gawaing ito. Katulad nga po ng nasabi ng isa nating

bayaning si Gat Andres Bonifacio sa kanyang dekalogo, Hangarin ang

kalayaan ng isat isa maging huwaran ng kanyang kapwa sa mabuting

pagpapasunod at pagtupad ng kanyang tungkulin. Ibinigay Ninyo sa

akin ang pagkakataong muling matutunan ang naturang pangungusap.

Maraming salamat Panginoon sa lahat ng mga pagsubok na ibinigay

Ninyo upang malaman ko kung ano ang tamang landas na dapat kong

tahakin upang masunod ang nais Mong ako ay makatulong sa aking

kapwa, isa sa mga naisin at adhikain ng kursong ito.

IIIIIIIIII

Panginoon, maraming salamat sa pagbibigay Mo sa akin ng aking

mga magulang na palaging nariyan at handang tumulong sa lahat ng

pagkakataong kailangan ko sila. Nariyan sila kapag akoy nalulungkot,

at nakikisalo sa mga sandali ng saya. Maraming salamat sa pagbibigay

ng ama at ina na ang tanging naisin ay ang ikakabuti naming

magkakapatid. Isang ama at inang pinagyayaman ang isipan at damdamin

ng kanilang mga anak sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay sa mga ito sa abot

ng kanilang makakaya ng edukasyon, isang hindi kailanman mawawalang

pamana ng panahon. Salamat sa pagbibigay ng magulang na simula ng

pagkabata ay natutunan ko na kung paano maging makatao, isang

pahalaga na kung saan maipapakita ko sa aking kapwa kung paano

ituturing nang maayos ang mga tao sa aking paligid, mga taong hindi ko

kilala subalit kailangan kong pakitunguhan nang maayos sa simpleng

Salamat po!Salamat po!Salamat po!Salamat po!Salamat po!Dalangin ng Isang Boluntir

11


dahilan na sila ay tao rin. Tinuruan din nila ako kung papaano ang tamang pamamaraan ng

pakikipagkapwa-tao, pakikitungo nang maayos sa mga kakilala at kaibigan. Lahat ng ito ay nagamit ko

sa paglilingkod sa mga bilanggo na hindi ko naman kilala at lalong hindi kaano-ano na dapat kong

tulungan sapagkat sila ang mga taong higit na nangangailangan ng aking tulong, sila ang mga taong

kung pagpipiliiy hindi naman gugustuhing mabulid sa ganoong kinasadlakan, mga taong kung ituturing

bilang tao ay aakto rin bilang isa. Mga taong sa katotohanan ay hindi naman kailangan ng mahabang

panahong pagsubaybay kundi ng simpleng pagpapakita lamang ng malasakit at pamamaraan at sila na

ang magkukusang gawin ang anumang trabahong ipapagawa sa kanila, kung minsan nga ay mas

magaling pa sa tagapagturo.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Maraming salamat Panginoon sa pagbibigay sa akin ng pagkakataong makapag-aral sa pamantasang

ito lalong-lalo na sa pagkakataong makasama sa hanay ng mga mga mag-aaral na dumaan sa mapagpalang

kamay ni Dr. Ledivina Carino. Sa kanya ay natutunan ko kung paanong ang isang unibersidad na

nagbibigay ng isang quality education nang hindi lamang nakapokus sa apat na sulok ng silid-aralan

kundi maging nang nasa labas din. Hindi lamang ito sa pamamagitan ng simpleng mga field at expo-

sure trips kundi sa pamamagitan ng paghuhubog ng kamaharlikaan ng pag-iisip at pagkatao na nababatay

sa paghuhubog ng isang etika ng pamantasan na hindi lamang nakatuon sa kalayaang pang-akademiko

at kagalingan dito kundi maging sa pagpapahalaga sa karangalan, katarungang panlipunan at kapantayan,

pagmamahal sa bayan, pananagutan sa taong-bayan, paglilingkod-bayan, pamahalaang demokratiko at

kalayaang institusyunal. Upang maipakita nila ito nang husto, kinakailangan ang programang

Pahinungod. Kahit sasandali akong naging bahagi ng programang ito, masasabi ko na ring kahit

papaano ay nakamit ng unibersidad sa akin ang mga adhikaing nabanggit. Maaaring maliit na bahagi

lamang ng populasyon ang mga grupo ng mga taong natulungan namin, ngunit kahit ganito, nakita ko

namang bahagi sila ng bayan, at dapat magtamo ng pakinabang mula dito. Ako ay isang iskolar ng

bayan, nararapat lamang siguro, Panginoon, na suklian ko ng paglilingkod ang mga taong sumusuporta

sa aking edukasyon. Natutunan ko rin mula sa aking guro, kung paanong nagkakaiba ang etika ng

puso ni Gilligan at ang etika ng isip ni Kohlberg. Kung minsan din naman kasi naiisip ko kung paanong

ang pamamaraan dapat tingnan ang kaso ng isang taong hindi sumusunod sa batas at patakaran na

kung tutuusin ay dapat na tumutugon sa kagalingan at pagtatanggol ng karapatan ng kalahatan. Paano

ngayon ang pagtataguyod ng etikal na buhay ng mga bilanggo? Paano na ang isang Mario Zinampan

at ang isang Raymund Narag? Ibig bang sabihin ay wala na silang etika ng katarungan? Ano man ang

isipin, nananaig pa rin sa akin ang sinabi ng aking guro noong ako ay nasa hayskul pa lamang at ang

isiping sila ay tao at mahalaga bilang tao at ang paghuhusga sa kanila ay dapat damahin ng ayon sa

paraang makapagbibigay ng mas maraming saya at kaunting sakit sa mas maraming bilang ng mga tao.

Basbasan mo ang mga mga guro, Panginoon.

12


IVIVIVIVIV

Maraming salamat Panginoon sa pagbibigay Mo ng pagkakataong makilala ko ang mga bilanggong

tulad ni Kuya Raymund, Kuya Mario at iba pa nilang kasama. Naalala ko tuloy si Dizon, isang bilanggo

na isinasama ng aking tiyuhin mula sa Sablayan Penal Colony (Occidental Mindoro) kung saan siya

nagtrabaho. Siya na halos ang nagpalaki sa aking mga pinsan. Siya ang nagluluto, naglalaba, naglilinis

ng bahay, naghahatid sa paaralan at kadalasan ay kalaro pa ng aking mga pinsan. Si Dizon, si Kuya

Mario at Kuya Raymundlahat sila ay maituturing nabiktima ng mapagbirong tadhana gaano man

kabigat ang nagawa nilang kasalanan o ano man ang bagay na ipinararatang sa kanila. Sa kanila ay

natutunan ko ang kahalagahan ng salitang kalayaan lalo na tuwing umaalis kami sa bilangguang iyun.

Sa kanila ay natutunan ko kung papaano magagamit nang maayos at maitsa-channel ang aking enerhiya

lalo na sa mga oras na wala akong ginigawa. Sa kanila ay nakita ko kung papaanong ang buhay

kaakibat ng mga yaman at pagsubok na ibinigay nito ay nararapat na pag-ingatan at gamitin nang

maayos. Nuong una ay wala akong pakialam sa iba, basta sa akin sinusunod ko lamang ang nais ng

lipunan at mga taong nakapaligid sa akin (conventional kumbaga). Ang mahalaga ay nagagawa ko ang

dapat kong gawin at pansariling concerns. Hindi pala sapat iyon sapagkat may pananagutan ako sa

aking kapwa tulad ng isang ina sa kanyang anak, guro sa kanyang mag-aaral at iba pa. May pananagutan

akong tulungan sila lalo na sa pagsapit ng panahong nandoon na ako sa serbisyo-gobyerno mas lalo

akong dapat na manindigan na isagawa ang mga responsibilidad na nakaatang sa aking mga balikat.

Sila ang mabuting halimbawa kung papaano ang dapat kong gawin sa panahon ng pagsubok, halatang

pinaglalabanan talaga nila ang kanilang mga problema. Nakukuha nilang ngumiti at tumawa at bagamat

hindi ko maintindihan ay nararamdaman ko ang kahungkagan ng bawat tunog nito. Panginoon,

tulungan Mo sila.

VVVVV

Diyos ko, isa ring naging lugar ng aking pagkatuto ay ang jail management mismo. Dito ay nakita

ko kung papaano ang pananagutan nila ay nakatuon lamang sa regularidad (marahil dahil hindi ko

naman nakita at nakausap nang husto ang mga nangangasiwa). Sa pagpasok sa tarangkahan ng

bilangguan, kinakapkapan kami. Medyo nakakailang nga nang kaunti sapagkat hanggang ang maselang

bahagi ng aming katawan ay hinihipo pero wala kaming magagawa dahil bahagi iyon ng pangangasiwa

ng kaayusan sa kulungan. Ang mga guwardiyang tulad nila ay may pananagutan sa panahong may

mangyaring masama sa lugar na iyon. Isa iyong pamamaraan ng kontrol upang maayos ang lahat at

lubusan ko naman iyong naiintindihan. Patuloy ninyo silang gabayan at pagpalain.

13


VIVIVIVIVI

Panginoon, lubos din akong nagpapasalamat sa pagkakataong ibinigay Ninyo upang mabisita ko

ang QC Hall of Justice. Sa totoo lang, ngayon lamang ako nakarating sa lugar na tulad nito. Ngayon

lang ako nakakita ng live na trial sa isang court room. Ganoon pala iyon. Alam kong bibihirang

dumating sa puntong nagkakaroon ng katarungan ng pagmamahal sa lugar na ito. Ngunit alam ko rin

namang ang payak na katarungan at ang katarungan bilang kalayaan ang nag-uudyok sa husgado dito.

Ang mga isinasaad sa batas at ang maayos na paghahatol ay isa ng katarungan basta walang kinikilingan,

kumbaga dapat lagi silang objective. Sa pagkakataong ito Panginoon, naibigay rin nila ang isang

kalayaan sa mga taong walang kasalanan ngunit hindi lang iyon, nagbibigay din sila ng kalayaan sa mga

taong nagkasala, kahit papaano ay isang kalayaan mula sa kanilang konsiyensiya at budhi. Kung

tutuusin, meron silang kapangyarihan, ngunit alam kong sa mukha ng bawat husgado na aking nakita

sa mga kasong ipina-follow-up, hindi nila ginagamit ang kanilang gahom sa maling pamamaraan. Siguro

lang sa ngayon, malaki pa rin ang tiwala ko sa kanila.

VIIVIIVIIVIIVII

At bilang panghuli Panginoon, ipinagpapasalamat ko sa inyo ang mga volunteers na handang

tumulong maging kapalit man ito ng kanilang panahon, kayamanan at talino. Sila ang mga bagong

bayani ng ating bayan. Hesukristo, bigyan nawa Ninyo sila ng lakas ng katawan at pag-iisip upang

maisagawa at maipagpatuloy ang kanilang mga gawain.

Ang lahat ng ito Panginoon ay natutunan ko sa paglilingkod ko bilang boluntir sa Quezon City Jail

Project. Tunay ngang napakaikli ng panahong ibinigay para sa akin ngunit ang lahat ng ito ay tataglayin

ko bilang isang masayang karanasan saan mang dako ng Pilipinas o mundo ako mapupunta. Isa lang

ang tanging hiling ko, ang mabigyang muli ng pagkakataong makapaglingkod ng tulad nito marahil sa

ibang panahon at sa ibang lugar, marahil sa sarili kong lalawigan. Hihintayin ko Diyos ang panahong

iyon.

Ang lahat ng ito, Panginoon ay itinataas ko sa ngalan ni Hesukristo, sa tulong ni Mariang aming

Ina, AMEN.

Maria FMaria FMaria FMaria FMaria Fatima Patima Patima Patima Patima Paglicaaglicaaglicaaglicaaglicawwwwwananananan

14


When I qualified in the Affirmative Action Program of theUgnayan ng Pahinungd, I vowed to be among its volun-teers if I would pass the UPCAT. I was an incoming fourth year high

school student then.

The Affirmative Action Program is a two-week class (in Math,

Physics, History, Chemistry and English) in selected provinces with the

UP volunteers (faculty, students, and alumni) as the teachers and orga-

nizers of activities. I was so pleased and exalted to be a part of it. I

looked up to the volunteers as citizens who are fulfilling their role in

the Philippine society. So that when I qualified for the University of

the Philippines in Diliman for the academic year 1999-2000, I looked

for the volunteer service program of the University.

I was fortunate to have met a volunteer in my integrated Spanish

class. She was a volunteer to the Social Welfare program of Pahinungd

Diliman. I kept asking her about how to join, when the orientation

would be, and all the other needed information since I was really ea-

ger to be a member of the Pahinungod Family. Finally she informed

me, Venus, on Wednesday, 10 oclock in the morning, there will be a

General Orientation for interested volunteers at the Quezon Hall roof-

top. Punta ka ha?

Attend? Oh yes, I was very willing to be present and accomplish

my mission. Details on the different programs were given for the

incoming volunteers to decide which program to join. I knew all about

the programs earlier and I had already decided to join any of the

following three programs; Social Welfare (a program for the street-

children and kids with cancer), Ecology Camp (a program that pro-

motes environmental awareness), and of course, the Affirmative

Action Program. But never did it enter my mind, not even in my

wildest dreams, to affiliate with the Quezon City Jail Projecta pro-

gram for the inmates of the Quezon City Jail. Who would want to go

there and give help to detainees, I thought, until the speaker of the

said program finished her sharing during the orientation. Listening to

her opened my mind in considering the program. I can still remember

the speaker saying, Its mostly paralegal work.

AAAAAttornettornettornettornettorneyyyyy15


16 Paralegal? Paralegal. After finishing a lot of John Grisham novels, I wanted to put into actioneverything that I absorbed from his books. Although I did not have enough knowledge of the law

and am still confused of legal terms, I wanted to try learning it and appreciate it, too. Oh well, I

thought it wasnt a bad idea after all to give it a try. After the orientation, we were asked to sign-up

in the different programs that we were interested to join. With determination, I marched head-up

towards the sign up sheet of the QC Jail program and scribbled my name first on the list.

I had never been to the Quezon City Jail before. My first visit there as a volunteer was in

February 2000 during the birthday of the Jail Warden. I really prepared myself for that first visit.

I read over and over again the Dos and Donts when visiting the jail and all the other guidelines. The

night before, I had a hard time sleeping wondering if that first visit would be the reason for my not

continuing to volunteer or it would be the ground for my having the courage to continue my mission.

I hoped it would be the latter.

Fortunately it was. The stinking smell of the jail, the overcrowded environment, the big, long-

haired, tattooed guys, and the stare of the inmates didnt discourage me to say goodbye to my dream

to be a Pahinungd. Honestly, I didnt feel like I was in a jailthe home of the so-called mga salot sa

lipunan. Maybe hard to believe but true.

Interviewing an inmate was the first step; one would ask ask what can be done to help them.

This help ranges from getting the hearing schedule, supervising the release order of inmates who

have already been acquitted or those who have served sentence, working on the transfer of con-

victed prisoners, focusing on an inmates application for probation, to visiting those whose relatives

seemed to have vanished.

My first interview was a shocking one because he was talking in a serious and nice way until I

asked him what his offense was. Well, he nonchalantly said murder. I, on the other hand, was of

course taken aback. I have also experienced interviewing an inmate who didnt really need any help.

He just wanted someone who would listen to him, all about the story of his life before jail and why he

was committed. There were also those who stutter, seeking advice while having a hard time

speaking. There were also those who are very shy and speak in the lowest volume of voice you have

to come closer to be able to understand them. Still, there were those who constantly reminded

you on the help they needed. And finally, there were those who stared at you straight into the eyes

at the longest possible time and spoke in a hoarse-loud manner you could melt and half-wish the

ground would eat you up in the meantime. But, even with these there were those who I loved

going to the jail and listening to every word they uttered. And up to now, I still am trying my best to

be patient and courteous in getting along with them.

New experiences came my way, both good and bad. I was mocked by the medico-legal at the

East Avenue Medical Center while trying to request for a medical certificate that was requested by an


Maria RMaria RMaria RMaria RMaria Rosalynd Vosalynd Vosalynd Vosalynd Vosalynd Venus Corenus Corenus Corenus Corenus Corazaazaazaazaaza

17inmate to be used for his defense. Why was I getting a medical certificates for a case daw eh I wasneither a lawyer nor a staff of any branch in the QC Hall of Justice? Not even a law student for that

matter. But proudly, I explained to him in the nicest way I could that I am a volunteer.

I went all the way to Precinct 6 to secure a police blotter, again asked of me by an inmate, and

searched for the document in those thick, dusty files placed on the floor in a very hot and crampy

room only to find out that it was torn out of the files. I have handled probation applications and

worked on them as hard as I could but they were all denied. Oftentimes, I was ignored by the

snobbish clerks of most branches in the QC Hall of Justice asking me what I wanted in a monster-like

voice that would make children run off. I had a hard time answering their questions with all those

confusing legal terms before. I was full of ahhs, ehhs, uhhs and errs. Well, even up to now.

Yet somehow, I did not feel tired, nor thought of it as a tiring work; neither did I complain of the

inmates requests. And even though it wasnt really my ambition (only my parents) to become a

lawyer, I was happy because I felt as if I were acting as one. My co-volunteers and I would often joke

and refer to each other as attorney and feel as if the inmates were our clients. Moreover, we were

lent modules on human rights by the UP College of Law and would be given a paralegal seminar in

the future. Now I am thinking of someday pursuing a career in law. Hmmm

But being a paralegal volunteer at the Quezon City Jail was no big joke. One should be very

sincere in doing it. Otherwise, she/he wouldnt be faithful and open to volunteer work, to the

inmates, and even to oneself. Relating with the inmates and courtesy will have to be learned since

one will meet lots of new people other than the inmates the public attorneys, relatives of the

inmates, complainants of the case, and the people in every section, every branch, every office, every

floor, and every door of the Quezon City Hall of Justice.

I have tried my best to be good at it. Also, I realized that reading the novels of John Grisham was

completely different from how the reality of justice system evolves in the Philippines. I am hoping Ill

never lose the courage to lend a hand to the inmates, wishing Ill never be too busy to serve them

especially now that I am going on my higher year and will be taking my major subjects, and praying

I will able to continue this volunteer work with all the strength and courage that I have. I keep on

imagining that I am going to be an attorney after I graduate. Believe me, I do.


Pagpasok ko sa UP, inakala ko na dito ay kailangang sarili ko ang mundo. Inakala ko na lahatdito ay pag-aaral, mga libro, teorya at kung anu-ano pa. Pero, na-realize ko na ang damipalang magagandang bagay na puwede kong pagtuunan ng pansin katulad ng Pahinungd.

Una ko siyang nakita sa t-shirt ng dati kong blockmate. Nakuha agad nito ang atensiyon ko dahil

pangalan pa lang kakaiba na. Hanggang nalaman ko na isa pala itong institusyon dito sa UP na

nagbibigay ng boluntaryong serbisyo sa pamamagitan ng ibat ibang mga programa. Kaya sa aking

ikalawang taon sa Unibersidad, nag-decide akong sumali. Naalala ko pa na hindi ako sinipot ng mga

kasama ko sa orientation. Sa totoo lang, nahirapan akong magdesisyon kung anong programa ang

sasalihan. Lahat yata gusto ko, pati nga Gurong Pahinungd. Hanggang napag-isip-isip ko na sumali

sa QC Jail Project.

Excited ako na medyo takot dahil hindi ko alam kung ano ang pinapasukan ko pero sige lang.

Nuong QC Jail Orientation, SHUCKS!!! Hindi ko alam kung ano ang dapat maramdaman, matatakot

ba at huwag na lang o ma-e-encourage sa kuwento ng mga dating volunteers. I decided to give it a try.

At hindi ko pinagsisisihan ang desisyong ginawa ko.

Isang malaking bagay para sa akin ang pagpa-Pahinungd. In a way, iminulat niya ako sa mga

katotohanan sa paligid na minsan ay nakakaligtaan kong tingnan. Ipinakilala niya sa akin si SERVICE

at COMMITMENT na dati pa palang nagpapakilala sa akin at hindi ko lang pinansin. Tinuruan ako

nitong humarap sa ibat ibang uri ng tao na may ibat ibang karanasan na kapupulutan pa ng aral

bastat makikinig lang. Puwede pala akong maging kapaki-pakinabang sa ibang tao kahit sa maliit na

paraan.

Napakaraming natutulungan ng Pahinungd kaya sanay magtagal pa ito at patuloy akong maging

bahagi ng institusyong ito. Sana ay mas malawak pa ang maabot ng mga programa nito dahil tunay

naman itong kapaki-pakinabang. Sana ay dumami pa ang volunteers. Sana

SerSerSerSerService at commitmentvice at commitmentvice at commitmentvice at commitmentvice at commitment

HazHazHazHazHazel Tel Tel Tel Tel Torrorrorrorrorrerererererooooo

18


Why volunteer? Why look for hard times when in fact one can use the spare time withfriends? Why volunteer just to share the victims hardships and sufferings? Why makelife complicated by being involved in other peoples problems? What can one get from volunteering?

Depression? Despair? Sadness? Why help a stranger? Why not help someone else a friend or a

relative?

I joined Pahinungd when I was a freshman. When I heard it was about volunteering, I didnt

hesitate to join, though I had no idea at all about commitment and responsibility. All I knew then was

I wanted to help. I found myself very relaxed then, so instead of going to the mall and watching

movies, I thought of spending more of my spare time in a better way, something worthwhile and

beneficial to others. My friends went about their usual college life, but I chose to be different. I

chose to volunteer. And nothing changed in our relationship. In fact, they became interested in

pahinungod behind bars

Documents