Pahinungod Behind Bars

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PPPPPahinungód Behind Bahinungód Behind Bahinungód Behind Bahinungód Behind Bahinungód Behind Barsarsarsarsars

UgnaUgnaUgnaUgnaUgnayyyyyan ng Pan ng Pan ng Pan ng Pan ng Pahinungód-Dilimanahinungód-Dilimanahinungód-Dilimanahinungód-Dilimanahinungód-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 Pahinungód-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. Cariño. Cariño. Cariño. Cariño. Cariño
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 understand…o those who seek to understand…o those who seek to understand…o those who seek to understand…o 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, PPPPPahinungód Dilimanahinungód Dilimanahinungód Dilimanahinungód Dilimanahinungód Diliman, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2000000000011111

PPPPPaunang Salitaaunang Salitaaunang Salitaaunang Salitaaunang Salita iii
Napakaraming paraan upang maging boluntir sa Pahinungód Diliman. At kadalasan, marami
ang nahihikayat maging Pahinungód sa ilalim ng progamang Social Welfare, kung saan mga
bata 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 Pahinungód, 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 kaya’t 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 “P“P“P“P“Pahinungód Behind Bahinungód Behind Bahinungód Behind Bahinungód Behind Bahinungód 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
Pahinungód, 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 Pahinungód 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 aca
demic 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 University’s 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;
Ma’am LMa’am LMa’am LMa’am LMa’am Leddy Cariñoeddy Cariñoeddy Cariñoeddy Cariñoeddy Cariño and Ma’am Maricon AlfMa’am Maricon AlfMa’am Maricon AlfMa’am Maricon AlfMa’am Maricon Alfilerilerilerileriler 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 IglesiasSol IglesiasSol IglesiasSol IglesiasSol Iglesias and Anne BAnne BAnne BAnne BAnne Barlisarlisarlisarlisarlis for providing the initiative by making the initial visits thus the
opportunity to help;
Sir OskSir OskSir OskSir OskSir Oskee Fee Fee Fee Fee Ferrerrerrerrerrererererer and Ma’am GrMa’am GrMa’am GrMa’am GrMa’am 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 Lawwwww 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 volunteersolunteersolunteersolunteersolunteers 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 Ranaday Ranaday Ranaday Ranaday Ranada of PRESO Foundation for maintaining the network and believing in the UP
Pahinungod;
The QC GoQC GoQC GoQC GoQC Govvvvvernmenternmenternmenternmenternment 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
wwwwwararararardensdensdensdensdens (past and present) for believing in the program and the volunteers;
RaRaRaRaRaymund Narymund Narymund Narymund Narymund Naragagagagag or KKKKKuyuyuyuyuya Raa Raa Raa Raa Raymundymundymundymundymund 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;
TTTTTuniuniuniuniuni and MarMarMarMarMarccccc 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
samu’t 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. Cariño
LLLLLessons fressons fressons fressons fressons from Prisonom Prisonom Prisonom Prisonom Prison
Since 1997, the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod has been sending volunteers into Quezon City Jail as
paralegals, literacy tutors, and leadership training facilitators. Among the volunteers are
students 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 bayan’s attempt to be the living answer to Rizal’s
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 and
the stars which thou has ordained,
What is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, that
thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and has crowned
him 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 don’t 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 Gibson’s cry in Braveheart: FREEDOM!
This happens sometimes because the pahinungod’s 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. Raymond’s
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 master’s 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 prison’s record
system. In one of my visits, one nun was so overwhelmed by the magnitude and quality of Raymond’s
volunteerism that she hugged him and said: “Oh Raymond. I hope you never leave us.” (That’s 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 another’s 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 O’Neal
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 world’s 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 reflection 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 NEDA’s 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 you
from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me
meat. I was thirsty and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger, and ye took me
in. 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, and
clothed 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, ye
have done it unto me.
Matt. 25: 31-40.
xiii

Mga NilalamanMga NilalamanMga NilalamanMga NilalamanMga Nilalaman
Paunang Salita iii
Mensahe v
Lessons from prison vii
Mga Kuwentong Pahinungód 1
The beginnings/ Ako bilang batang city jail/ Si Aiza/ Salamat po!
Attorney/ Service at commitment/ Why volunteer?
Detinadong komunidad/ Ang aking karanasang Pahinungód sa loob
Beyond these four walls/ Cheyrman/ Tulong/ A sense of freedom
Mga Kuwento Sa Loob 41
Bilanggo/ 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 77
Of 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 Pahinungód sa loob
Beyond these four walls
Cheyrman
Tulong
A sense of freedom
Mga Kuwentong Pahinungód

The beginningsThe beginningsThe beginningsThe beginningsThe beginnings
What may have started as a U.P. tragedy resulted in a program that offers voluntary
assistance from the University constituents to one of the most misjudged sectors of
society—the 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 incident—Venturina 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 Council—Sol
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 didn’t 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 Pahinungód 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
Pahinungód’s 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 Cariño who was then the System Director of
the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód System and a faculty of the same college.
The latter thought the project may be directly conducted by the CPA
as its Pahinungód project.
Dr. Cariño 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. Cariño ends with an amazed laugh.
She recalled her first visit being on an Ash Wednesday so there
was a mass going on in the jail’s chapel. Dr. Carino disclosed that
although she was prepared for the worst, she wasn’t 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 didn’t look like a jail
at all! It was more like a town plaza!”
Dr. Cariño 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 case—finishing 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
Raymund’s confinement in that jail that drove us there,” Dr. Cariño
admitted. She said that Narag is a born leader and that even before
the Pahinungód program had begun he was already trying to start to
serve the inmates.
3

Although initially proposed to be the College of Public Administration’s undertaking, the jail
project eventually became one of Pahinungód’s programs when Dr. Cariño brought up the idea to
one of her staff, Margarita Pambid, who became the first coordinator for the project.
“Ma’am 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
research—Pambid 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 Pahinungód 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 hadn’t been officially launched yet, the inmates were already identifying all the UP students
doing volunteer service in their area as Pahinungóds. 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 wasn’t 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. Cariño, “The faculty from our College weren’t worried at all. Ganyan
naman dito sa College, kasi it’s 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 management—the 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 Engaño, 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 Pahinungód Diliman for its imple-
mentation. Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay, then the Pahinungód
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 Pahinungóds 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, Pahinungód 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. Cariño, 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 Cariño, Maricon Alfedivina Cariño, Maricon Alfedivina Cariño, Maricon Alfedivina Cariño, Maricon Alfedivina Cariño, Maricon Alfiler & Mariler & Mariler & Mariler & Mariler & Marge Pge Pge Pge Pge Pambidambidambidambidambid

Matapos ang mahabang pagbabalik-tanaw sa mga nangyari mula nang ako’y magboluntir sa
QC Jail Project, ang katagang ito ni Mother Teresa ang unang pumasok sa aking isipan.
Dahil kami’y 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 kaya’y 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 kaya’y 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 kaya’y 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 man’s 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 things—only 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 katapat
na nag-iiwan ng malaking impresyon sa kanyang buhay.
Maaaring ang taong ito’y nagasasalita mula sa kanyang intelek o di
kaya’y mula sa sariling karanasan na hindi hinahaluan ng anumang
teknikalidad… ito’y 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 ito’y
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
ako’y malaya, siya’y 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 (“man’s 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 siya’y nagpipilit makabilang muli sa galaw ng mga tao sa
daigdig, ako nama’y nagmumuni-muni sa mga sandaling ako’y
Si AizaSi AizaSi AizaSi AizaSi Aiza
9

makakapagpahinga mula sa magulong takbo ng buhay sa mundo. At kung nakilala na niya ang
Panginoon doon, ako nama’y 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
ako’y 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 nama’y 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, pinupuri
at pinasasalamatan Kita sa lahat ng bagay at grasyang
ipinagkaloob 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 isa’t 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 ako’y 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 pagpipilii’y 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 Raymund…lahat 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 the
Ugnayan ng Pahinungód, 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 Pahinungód
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 o’clock 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 Project—a 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, “It’s mostly paralegal work.”
AAAAAttornettornettornettornettorneyyyyy
15

16 Paralegal? Paralegal. After finishing a lot of John Grisham novels, I wanted to put into action
everything 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 wasn’t 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 Do’s and Don’ts 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 didn’t discourage me to say goodbye to my dream
to be a Pahinungód. Honestly, I didn’t feel like I was in a jail—the 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 inmate’s 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 didn’t 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 was
neither 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 wasn’t 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 wouldn’t 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 I’ll
never lose the courage to lend a hand to the inmates, wishing I’ll 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 lahat
dito ay pag-aaral, mga libro, teorya at kung anu-ano pa. Pero, na-realize ko na ang dami
palang magagandang bagay na puwede kong pagtuunan ng pansin katulad ng Pahinungód.
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 iba’t 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 Pahinungód. 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-Pahinungód. 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 iba’t ibang uri ng tao na may iba’t ibang karanasan na kapupulutan pa ng aral
basta’t makikinig lang. Puwede pala akong maging kapaki-pakinabang sa ibang tao kahit sa maliit na
paraan.
Napakaraming natutulungan ng Pahinungód kaya sana’y 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 with
friends? Why volunteer just to share the victim’s hardships and sufferings? Why make
life complicated by being involved in other people’s 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 Pahinungód when I was a freshman. When I heard it was about volunteering, I didn’t
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
joining Pahinungód too.
My main reason for volunteering was to extend my help to the less privileged ones. I did not
realize then that being Pahinungód would have a significant impact on me. I have come to love what
I am doing that I cannot give up Pahinungód despite the pressure added on by my academic require-
ments. To me, volunteering is something that I have committed myself to, something I want to make
out of my life. I used to tell myself more often that I would make my stay in the University memo-
rable and meaningful — something of value and of worth. Through volunteering, I can truly say that
I am making most valuable use of my time.
Why would I help people I don’t know? It is because people I know do not need that much help.
They can cope by themselves. In Pahinungód, I get to interact with people who are really in need of
help. I get to know them and to relate with their situation. I am involved with their problems and
gradually get attached with the people I help. This is the hardest part, as I tend to absorb some of
their feelings, yet I am able to help, even by simply listening, or any of the littlest possible ways.
Volunteering was also a learning experience for me. Interacting with people allowed me to see
the real world. It taught me that life is not that simple — different people have different lives. Some
WhWhWhWhWhy vy vy vy vy volunteer?olunteer?olunteer?olunteer?olunteer? 19

may be happy, yet some are miserable. Despite the misery though, they see through life. They know
how to live life. However, there are those who lose hope. But then there’s the support of the
volunteers who share whatever they have learned from others too. But looking back, I realized that
I did not only help them, but also learned from them.
For these reasons, I will never regret being a volunteer. I cannot imagine giving up my volunteer-
ing. I cannot imagine life without Pahinungód.
Janice MorJanice MorJanice MorJanice MorJanice Moranteanteanteanteante
20

Nakapangingilabot… nakadidiri… mga salitang ginagamit upang ilarawan ang loob ng kulungan.
Dito raw nagtitipon-tipon ang lahat ng masasamang tao, mga imoral, rapist, magnanakaw,
mamamatay-tao at iba pa. Ano ngayon ang mararamdaman mo kapag nalaman mong dadalaw ang
iyong klase sa Quezon City Jail? Bakit ba kami pupunta doon? May kaugnayan ba ito sa aming pinag-
aaralan? Sabi nila magulo daw sa kulungan, paano ngayon ‘yan?
Pagpasok pa lamang namin sa QC Jail, nakakita na ako ng lalaking tadtad ng tattoo ang katawan.
At naku, ang mga babae, daig pa si Donya Victorina sa kasupladahan. Umikot kami sa loob. Pumasok
kami sa kuwarto ng kababaihan. Nakipagkuwentuhan kami sa ilan sa kanila. Doon ko napagtanto na
hindi lahat ng nakakulong ay masasama at kapag nagkasala man sila noon, pinagsisisihan na nila ito
ngayon. Maliliit lang ang mga kuwarto nila ngunit bawat kuwarto ay may sariling banyo. Libre daw
ang suplay ng kuryente kaya’t puwede kahit maraming electric fan. Ngunit, pagkarami-rami mang
electric fan ay napakainit pa rin ng lugar sa dami nilang nagsisiksikan sa kuwarto. Mga humigit-
kumulang na dalawampu’t lima ang nakatira sa bawat kuwarto. Ngunit gaano man ito kainit at
kasikip, ito’y presentable naman. Ang bawat kuwarto ay may motif. Nililinis nila ito nang mabuti
sapagkat may pa-kontest sa kulungan sa pagandahan at palinisan ng kuwarto. Ang QC Jail ay parang
isang maliit na komunidad. May nagtitinda ng pagkain sa loob, may munti silang chapel at may banda
pang tumutugtog. Sa baba naman ay naroon ang basketball court.
Organisado at magalang ang mga bilanggo. Hindi ko ito inasahan. Ang kulungan kung minsan ay
instrumento ng naghaharing uri ng lipunan upang parusahan ang mga kumakalaban sa kanila. Sabi
nila ito rin daw ay institusyon ng reporma. Ngunit paano ito matatawag na institusyon ng pagababago?
Gaano ito katotoo? Paano nga ba magbabago ang isang bilanggo kung sa umpisa pa lamang ay
kinokondena na sila ng mga tao? Napakalaki kong tanga nang maniwala ako na ang lahat ng mga
nakakulong ay masasama. Kinaiinisan ko ang lipunan na patuloy na kumukutya sa mga bilanggo
ngunit ang aking sarili ay hindi ko man lang mapagsabihan.
Ang pagpunta ko sa kulungan ay nagbukas sa aking isipan sa isang bagay na noon ay hindi ko
nakita— pagbibigay halaga sa mga bilanggo. Sa aming pakikipanayam sa kanila, nalaman ko ang isang
hibla ng kasaysayan sa kanilang buhay. Naging aral sa akin ang kanilang naging mga karanasan upang
sa gayo’y mapaghandaan ko rin ang bukas na darating nang hindi lumilihis ng daan. Ang kanilang
naging karanasan ay magiging bahagi rin ng aking kasaysayan sapagkat ito ang aking gagamiting
instrumento sa pagtatasa kung ano ang tama sa mali.
Detinadong kDetinadong kDetinadong kDetinadong kDetinadong komunidadomunidadomunidadomunidadomunidad
Ma. RMa. RMa. RMa. RMa. Rufufufufufina Sablaina Sablaina Sablaina Sablaina Sablayyyyy
21

When I signed-up for the QC Jail project, one rainy Wednesday morning, I didn’t expect to
gain much from the experience. Actually, I didn’t even expect I’d become a regular
volunteer for it. It is one of those things that looks interesting on paper but is never given serious
consideration. But, as fate would have it, all things seemed to point to the direction of the QC Jail
project. Firstly, instead of attending the Social Work orientation I “mistakenly” showed-up for the
QC Jail project without knowing what I had gotten myself into. Secondly, my free time happened to
be the visiting schedule to the jail. After a while, I simply decided to accept this peculiar turn of events
as if it was meant to be all along. And, it was!
Much to my surprise and after the initial shock that came with my first visit to the jail, I found
myself going back often during my first semester of volunteer work. Most of the time, I had to go
back for “business” (a term my fellow volunteer used). However, there were times when I found
myself inside the jail with no real work to be done because the inmate I talked to had a court hearing
or because there were no updates in an inmate’s case. So, instead of interviewing more inmates and
adding to an already troublesome load, I’d spend the time chatting with Kuya Raymund in his room
over a glass of cold coke and a pack of skyflakes. We would talk mostly about how life was in a jail
along with the different roles of inmates in a brigada. One time, though, we even had a discussion
about UP student politics and politics in general with me asking most of the questions and Kuya
Raymund being ever so articulate with his answers. I still remember that discussion fondly because his
girlfriend was also there for a visit and she brought along a styrofoam container of Chowking food.
And there we were, three people in a cozy room talking normally as if we were anywhere else in this
big city. From that time on, I could not think of the jail as just a jail anymore. It became a functioning
community, full of the normal everyday people one would find on the street. This affected my
volunteer work by making me understand that I wasn’t just interviewing inmates who needed help
with their cases but that I was listening to people relay a part of their lives to me, giving me their trust
and hopes even if I was a total stranger.
Naturally, I became more curious about how things worked in a jail. Kuya Raymund told me
stories, even let me read the pieces he wrote narrating jail life. Because of his stories and after further
research, I learned about the different structures organized to provide discipline and control power.
However, I also discovered that these same structures turned out to be oppressive in nature and ran
counter to what I believed jail life should be. The idea that some inmates continued to indulge invices
in a place where they were supposed to be rehabilitated bothered me very much. My ideals of the
world I comfortably lived in were suddenly in doubt. On one hand, I felt guilty for not being able to
uplift the plight of inmates, but then I felt the rampant corruption or mishandling of inmates was too
much for one volunteer to change. It reached a point when I didn’t want to go and visit the jail for a
time because it felt burdensome and depressing. I justified it by reasoning I did not need more
BeBeBeBeBeyyyyyond these fond these fond these fond these fond these four wour wour wour wour wallsallsallsallsalls
22

problems to add to my long list. My selfishness persisted for a while,
even if I went to visit the jail for business. I kept my thoughts to myself
and went on acting as a normal volunteer. Except that I no longer
interviewed anyone nor was I enthusiastic about following up cases.
I guess this feeling, this unwillingness to accept things and look at the
brighter side would’ve continued had it not been for one of the tasks
I had to do as a long-time volunteer. It involved accompanying the
newest batch of SLO volunteers on their first visit to the jail and I had
not been too enthusiastic to do it. Nevertheless, I met them, brought
them to the jail, and held an on-site orientation. It was during this
activity, while looking at their faces full of anxiety and wonder, did I
realize that was me a few semesters back. I was suddenly inspired by
their display of energy. They even went back to the jail to do follow-up
work without supervision. Through their courage and desire to help,
I was able to muster my own courage and energy to try and transform
my perceived burden into an apparent blessing. It has not been easy
for me to continue doing volunteer work especially since my academic
and even extra-curricular loads have increased through the years in
UP. But, in-between the little volunteer work I do, I still find myself
occasionally wanting to go back to the jail for no particular reason
except maybe for another one of those long discussions. Or maybe
even for just a short conversation with an inmate who will willingly
share his or her life story.
My personal quest for what is right and how to make things right
still continues. But I get less easily upset now every time I face large
obstacles or feel that I’m carrying too heavy a burden on my shoul-
ders. I have come to understand that my ideals don’t have to be com-
promised in my search for what is right. Knowing this world can’t be
changed overnight is actually a comforting thought if you consider the
sheer magnitude of what needs to be changed. Moreover, through this
unique project, I have come to meet many interesting and selfless people
who, like me, seek the same goals and foster the same ideals. Many of
them have become my good friends and teachers. It is from them I
gain wisdom and strength to face these constant challenges to my op-
timism as a Filipino human being and to my desire for change as a
student. I will forever be grateful to Pahinungod for opening my heart
and mind to the realities of life; for teaching me ideas beyond the
traditional four walls; and for the opportunity to actually do some-
thing with what I’ve learned. Zak YZak YZak YZak YZak Yusonusonusonusonuson
23

Mahirap hulihin sa pamamagitan ng mga salita ang aking mga nararamdaman at kaisipan
patungkol sa piitan, boluntarismo, pagiging lider, at magkakaugnay na karanasan ukol dito.
Ang papel na ito ay isang pagtatangka na sumahin ang mga pagbabago sa akin magmula nang ako’y
makilahok sa proyektong Quezon City Jail.
PPPPPaano Akaano Akaano Akaano Akaano Ako Naging Bo Naging Bo Naging Bo Naging Bo Naging Bahagi ng Prahagi ng Prahagi ng Prahagi ng Prahagi ng Progrogrogrogrograma?ama?ama?ama?ama?
Ang partisipasyon ko sa proyekto ay hindi maililimita sa pagiging bahagi nito sa mga rekisito ng
kursong PA 161 o Ethics and Accountability. Sa pagtukoy pa lamang ng bilangguan bilang isang
depressed area ay nasa paligid na ako ng eksena. Bumabalik-balik ako sa jail kasama ng mga iba pang
estudyanteng gustong maging bahagi ng programa para dumalaw. At sa pagpasok ng aming konseho
sa simula ng academic year 1997-1998, ang QC Jail Project ay isa sa mga proyektong binigyang-halaga.
Naging bahagi kami sa makasaysayang pagbubuo ng Memorandum of Agreement sa pagitan ng UP,
BJMP, QC Government, PRESO Foundation, at Ugnayan ng Pahinungód para sa ikabubuti ng piitan.
Naglunsad kami ng information drive para sa proyekto at hinikayat ang mga mag-aaral na sumali dito.
Dahil dito, naging mahirap sa akin nang ako ay nag-Service Learning Option na tukuyin ang aking
tunay na partisipasyon sa programa: Ako ba’y PA 161 SLO volunteer? Naririto dahil sa Student
Council? Nandirito dahil may kaibigan ako sa kulungan? Sa tuwing iisipin ko ang mga nakakalitong
katanungang ito, isa lamang ang pumapasok sa isip ko— na ako ay nandito dahil PPPPPahinungód akahinungód akahinungód akahinungód akahinungód akooooo. Isa
itong pagsusuma ng mga kadahilanang hindi naman dapat himay-himayin. Isa itong inspirasyon sa
kabila ng malakas na pressure na dala ng mga nabanggit na patung-patong na kadahilanan at
responsibilidad.
Ano ang Aking BAno ang Aking BAno ang Aking BAno ang Aking BAno ang Aking Bahagi sa Prahagi sa Prahagi sa Prahagi sa Prahagi sa Progrogrogrogrograma?ama?ama?ama?ama?
Ang bahagi ko sa programa ay hindi pangkaraniwan. Di tulad ng regular na mga Lingkod-Aral
kung saan ang boluntir ay nagbibigay-serbisyo sa mga nangangailangan, ang trabaho ko sa Proyekto
ay hindi direktang tumutulong sa mga inmate. Hindi ako regular na humahawak ng kanilang kaso.
Ang gawain ko ay ang manghagilap at mangulit ng mga boluntir na dumalo sa mga pagtitipon at
asikasuhin ang mga hawak nilang kaso. Hindi rin gaya ng regular na pagtulong kung saan natutuwa
ang mga tinutulungan, ako ay maaaring kinaiinisan na minsan ng mga boluntir dahil sa aking kakulitan.
Pero, hindi ko naman sila pinipilit kung may mahalaga silang gagawin. Ang akin lamang ay paalala na
gawin nila kung ano ang ipinangako nila sa inmate at sa Proyekto.
Ang aking kAng aking kAng aking kAng aking kAng aking karararararanasang Panasang Panasang Panasang Panasang Pahinungód sa loobahinungód sa loobahinungód sa loobahinungód sa loobahinungód sa loob
24

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