“What is strong wins and it’s the universal law.”
- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, German Philosopher
As one of the volunteers during the Prison Awareness Sunday at Zambales Provincial Jail last October 24, I felt mixture of emotions when we entered the prison ground. I couldn’t determine what would be my impression and reaction towards the environment and specifically to the inmates –or enrollees as called by warden Paneda– during that time.
According to Ret. PNP Col. Amado Paneda, which is currently the warden of the provincial jail, he said that, when he studied the statistic of cases in the jail during his latter days as he occupied the chair, 5 percent from 100 percent enrollees are guilty of the crime while the remaining 95 percent are innocent and just pre-suspected by the complainants.
With my co-volunteers [the 3rd year and 4th year Psych Studes, CAS, RMTU-Main], we had witnessed the situations of the inmates when we roamed inside each cell. The environment is not so nice but you can see that they are making most of their times doing things which are useful; like making woodcrafts and the like. It was said, too, that some inmates are being enrolled in vocational courses.
After that ocular in each cell, we moved to the waiting shed adjacent to prisoners’ colony. There, we waited them - the inmates. And when they arrived, our adviser told us to approach and counsel one of them.
As I saw them, I tried to choose but I thought of not choosing anyone. I just moved to a petite man with a dark complexion and with typical body build. I asked him in a nice approach and there it goes.
He is Rene, a Born Again Christian. He became outspoken at that time. He has been a barber in a small shop. It was then that he was arrested with warrant of arrest as being suspected as the 26k- worth-robber in a grocery. He said that he was not the perpetrator because the evidence found inside his house was not his – it’s a frame up from his peers.
He told me, during the third month inside the jail, that his family has started to ruin. His family moved to Olongapo and did not even make an extra effort to visit him. He told me that the true suspect admitted it already but according to his lawyer, it’s not easy to do that because it’ll take a long process. His case can be bailed of about P8, 000 and he’s thinking where he will be able to find that amount. A big question and a call to the Christian community!
“Ganyan talaga ang batas dito, pumunta kayo dito para malaman nyu ang katotohanan. Baluktot ang batas, pawang para sa mga may pera lang ang batas natin. Kapag mahirap ka, kulong ang labas mo. Ipinagpapasa-Diyos ko na nga lang e, buti nga ‘di na uma-attend ‘yung complainant ko.”
After that, it just like something had provoked me to promise something to him but I recalled what had Sr. Lydia told us before we entered in the premise, “Do not promise anything to them!” I just said to him that God will not let him suffer that long. Time will come that you’ll get out from here. You’ll make another phase of your life outside these bars. Then, he bid good bye and thanked me for listening to him and so was I; that I had an odd conversation – the veracity of failures of the society.
Another inmate is Albert, a 19-year-old lad who has been suspected as one of the perpetrators of a murder case. His two older brothers have been in jailed one year before he entered because of the accusations, that they killed the victim.
According to him, three of them was in their house during the crime and they didn’t even know who’s that person being killed. Not in their consciousness that the victim is their acquaintance. One of the peers of the victim with the consent of the family pointed them as the murderers. Albert has been arrested during their barangay basketball league tournament without warrant of arrest and he said that the officer who had arrested him didn’t wear his proper uniform. A ground of suppression to one’s right and not abiding such standard procedure!
Another ear-boggling scenario from his innocent mind declared this manifesto, “Iniisip nga namin na pinagpeperahan lang kami ng pamilya nila. Sabi nga ng nanay namin, ibenta na lang ‘yung bukid para pang-bail samin. Pero sabi namin nila kuya, huwag, kasi parang inamin na din namin ‘yung krimen na hindi namin talaga ginawa.”
I just told him, that no matter what happen; keep your faith to God that someday there will come a time that you and your brothers will get out from these sufferings of injustice to the little people.
Yeah, it’s a fact! People who have wealth, who practiced padrino system and who abused peoples’ ignorance are just but the strong ones and the big ones. The laws are just for them. They can mobilize the society in their own palm.
However, is this righteous thing? Absolutely, it’s not. And I would like to reaffirm this, “Your conscience is your law and it’ll never be bought by such monetary and power system.”
- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, German Philosopher
As one of the volunteers during the Prison Awareness Sunday at Zambales Provincial Jail last October 24, I felt mixture of emotions when we entered the prison ground. I couldn’t determine what would be my impression and reaction towards the environment and specifically to the inmates –or enrollees as called by warden Paneda– during that time.
According to Ret. PNP Col. Amado Paneda, which is currently the warden of the provincial jail, he said that, when he studied the statistic of cases in the jail during his latter days as he occupied the chair, 5 percent from 100 percent enrollees are guilty of the crime while the remaining 95 percent are innocent and just pre-suspected by the complainants.
With my co-volunteers [the 3rd year and 4th year Psych Studes, CAS, RMTU-Main], we had witnessed the situations of the inmates when we roamed inside each cell. The environment is not so nice but you can see that they are making most of their times doing things which are useful; like making woodcrafts and the like. It was said, too, that some inmates are being enrolled in vocational courses.
After that ocular in each cell, we moved to the waiting shed adjacent to prisoners’ colony. There, we waited them - the inmates. And when they arrived, our adviser told us to approach and counsel one of them.
As I saw them, I tried to choose but I thought of not choosing anyone. I just moved to a petite man with a dark complexion and with typical body build. I asked him in a nice approach and there it goes.
He is Rene, a Born Again Christian. He became outspoken at that time. He has been a barber in a small shop. It was then that he was arrested with warrant of arrest as being suspected as the 26k- worth-robber in a grocery. He said that he was not the perpetrator because the evidence found inside his house was not his – it’s a frame up from his peers.
He told me, during the third month inside the jail, that his family has started to ruin. His family moved to Olongapo and did not even make an extra effort to visit him. He told me that the true suspect admitted it already but according to his lawyer, it’s not easy to do that because it’ll take a long process. His case can be bailed of about P8, 000 and he’s thinking where he will be able to find that amount. A big question and a call to the Christian community!
“Ganyan talaga ang batas dito, pumunta kayo dito para malaman nyu ang katotohanan. Baluktot ang batas, pawang para sa mga may pera lang ang batas natin. Kapag mahirap ka, kulong ang labas mo. Ipinagpapasa-Diyos ko na nga lang e, buti nga ‘di na uma-attend ‘yung complainant ko.”
After that, it just like something had provoked me to promise something to him but I recalled what had Sr. Lydia told us before we entered in the premise, “Do not promise anything to them!” I just said to him that God will not let him suffer that long. Time will come that you’ll get out from here. You’ll make another phase of your life outside these bars. Then, he bid good bye and thanked me for listening to him and so was I; that I had an odd conversation – the veracity of failures of the society.
***
Another inmate is Albert, a 19-year-old lad who has been suspected as one of the perpetrators of a murder case. His two older brothers have been in jailed one year before he entered because of the accusations, that they killed the victim.
According to him, three of them was in their house during the crime and they didn’t even know who’s that person being killed. Not in their consciousness that the victim is their acquaintance. One of the peers of the victim with the consent of the family pointed them as the murderers. Albert has been arrested during their barangay basketball league tournament without warrant of arrest and he said that the officer who had arrested him didn’t wear his proper uniform. A ground of suppression to one’s right and not abiding such standard procedure!
Another ear-boggling scenario from his innocent mind declared this manifesto, “Iniisip nga namin na pinagpeperahan lang kami ng pamilya nila. Sabi nga ng nanay namin, ibenta na lang ‘yung bukid para pang-bail samin. Pero sabi namin nila kuya, huwag, kasi parang inamin na din namin ‘yung krimen na hindi namin talaga ginawa.”
I just told him, that no matter what happen; keep your faith to God that someday there will come a time that you and your brothers will get out from these sufferings of injustice to the little people.
***
Yeah, it’s a fact! People who have wealth, who practiced padrino system and who abused peoples’ ignorance are just but the strong ones and the big ones. The laws are just for them. They can mobilize the society in their own palm.
However, is this righteous thing? Absolutely, it’s not. And I would like to reaffirm this, “Your conscience is your law and it’ll never be bought by such monetary and power system.”
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