I had one of those "eye-opening" experiences today... it was pretty interesting. Honestly, at first I didn't want to do it. I was frightened and all today. Well it was actually our exposure trip to New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa. Seriously I was very, very reluctant to go to that place. Prison creeps me out... guess I have to blame that on Hollywood and all those "prison movies". I was scared for my life... okay so I am a bit exaggerating but I was still pretty scared. I was praying like hell (okay now that is a wierd thing, praying and hell??) and then in the end of it all... I actually had fun.Well we were instructed to meet in front of the chapel in UST at 6:30 this morning and I am so not a morning person most of the time... I am when I am excited about the said day but today I was feeling, as I said, reluctant. It was too early! HAHA I was SABOG! Well a bit frazzled but well "out of my element" and like I said this morning "too early to function". HAHA And guess what we left at around 8:30 great right?! Filipino time is such crap... argh! And that is why I knew we were asked to arrive that early. FILIPINOS PLEASE COME ON TIME! HAHA
We got there at around 10 I think and we went to the maximum security compound where they hold some of the country's "notorious" criminals. I was pretty scared when we were let in the compound. The guys were separated from the girls because the guys had to be stamped and checked. The stamp was too ensure that they could get out of the prison because if they don't have that they could not leave the prison because they could be mistaken for inmates who were trying to escape... great right?! HAHA We weren't going to interact with them really instead we were sent up on this roof top where you get to look down on them and I actually found it a bit cruel and inhuman, to watch them like they were fishes in an aquarium but like what one of my blockmates said, I forgot who, that they might like that attention, to us it seems awkward but to them seeing people could make them happy, like prison alters their thinking (which I think is true).
After that we went to where the lethal injection chamber was and on that place there was a sort of museum, it was a bit cruel and sad when you think of having a little museum inside a prison but I guess it is for us people who would like to know more about it. They had a replica of the electric chair in that place and our "tour guide" said that when the incumbent president doesn't call by 3 o' clock in the afternoon then they would turn off all electric lines in the compound so it would go directly to the chair and on the feet of the prisoner was asbestos where they also place water on. Cruel and inhuman seriously... some people won't agree with me but I don't think that most people don't deserve that except for those who seriously committed something that is purely evil and of pure hate towards others but for the most part I think it is so wrong.
After that we were on our way to the medium security compound but we were on the bus for about 30 to 45 minutes because we were waiting for the other buses because we were the first group to be done at the museum - there were five buses and one section per bus - and when we got there my fear sort of resurfaced because unlike the maximum security where it looked like a fort, the medium security had two barbed wire fences and we could see all the prisoners in there. I was scared really... and I was dreading the time we had to get down on the bus and we were all hungry because it was almost one o' clock and we haven't eaten yet. We were asked to bring food for the inmate we were going to "interact" with. And we were all starving! I just can't forget what Aura said, well she said, "SA LAHAT NG MAY PAGKAIN TAYO YUNG GUTOM." I just found that really funny because it was so true...
Anyway when we got down we dove into the interaction thing immediately because that was while we were eating and that was where I met Kuya Roger he didn't look anything like the scary monsters (exaggerate much?!) or inmates who had ulterior motives. He was nice and I guess like most of them pretty talkative because like he told those who don't get visitors anymore were really happy that we came. I was touched by this really... I'm a big softie.
Anyway, I didn't feel any fear after that but I was a bit shy because I am not really good with new acquaintances HAHA I am not a smooth talker... whatever that is! Well, we talked about his family, where he worked before, what he did to well get into prison and well he gave me a few life lessons...
Kuya Roger was what they call "Mayor" in their building in that compound... he was sort of a leader who had to handle about 500 prisoners (I was like whoa when I heard this) they were sort of the ones who watched over the doings of their "ka-cosa" (not sure of the spelling sorry) or sort of group or gang or whatever and their positions had priveleges because they had their own cells with electric fans and they sort of had these little "sari-sari" stores in the compound which were income generating and like he said they had their own sort of "private-for-mayor's-only Christmas parties". I didn't want to talk about Christmas too much because it was too much of a depressing topic in their case.
But Kuya Roger was not like those ordinary inmates because his family lived nearby and they were there I think almost everyday and he told me that he was busy with all his responsibilites that he doesn't feel like he is in prison. He even told me that this sort of was a blessing to him because he had an income generating thing here it was easier for him and his wife.
He came from a family of 12 kids and only two of them were girls and he lived at Quiapo before and that was where he worked. His one anecdote that I won't forget would be his baptism because he told me about how he was part of this "mass baptism" as a child where there were 25 kids and he was the only guy! The priest patted him on the head and said that it could only mean two things: either he would turn out to be gay or he would be "habulin ng mga babae"... of course it turned out to be the second one. He married at a very young age where he was 16 and working while his wife was 15 and in high school. He had many girlfriends during his marriage and his wife knew. He said he lived a life like a bachelor at there were a lot of hardship his wife endured. She died in February 14, 1994 because of I forgot the term but it was the same illness as Marcos and at UST Hospital... it saddened me really and he said that about a week after that he was in prison.
The case was before his wife died and it involved one of his girlfriends who was 15 years old (he used to like young girls) and she got pregnant and her parents found out and filed a case, my dad said he could've been charged with statutory rape or something. He had 4 kids from his first marriage who know lives in Pampanga and he has one kid now in his second marriage... a girl whom he loves so much. He attributes his changes to his daughter and I remember he told me that he said to his daughter something about regaining the honor which he lost. I was again touched by this.
I won't really get to tell you everything we talked about because well it would take too long and some don't really need to be broadcasted. After our "interaction" there was this program where the talented inmates performed... it was fun and so cool really... won't really go into detail with that.
I'm going back to the topic on Kuya Roger and close this up. Of course he told me to study well and never give up on my dreams and work hard. Well he has changed and as he said he is turning away from temptation. He told me about soulmates and how his second wife was his soulmate because no matter what happened or how he tried to change circumstances his wife was sort of lead back to him. It was cool really... thinking that if one person is really for you then it would really come to you no matter how much you try to change the circumstances or avoid the person. I am a firm believer that there is that one person who perfectly compliments you, the lid to your pot, so to speak.
This experience was really something that made me think of how lucky I have it and how things happen because they come to teach you something or to try to teach you something no matter how horrible the experience is. How blessed I am to be where I am right now... especially on this upcoming Christmas season. It was perfect way to open my eyes to the fact that most of my problems are such petty things...
I am grateful and thankful that I got to experience this... it would be one of those things that would forever be in my heart and mind...
No comments:
Post a Comment