CEBU DANCING INMATES, A CATACLYSMIC METAMORPHOSIS IN JAIL MANAGEMENT

It all started from an inmates marching routine to a daily dancing  practice inside or outside their respective cell. To manage a jailhouse is a very daunting task to do especially when 70% of the 1500 inmates inside are considered high-risk criminals of the society, says Byron Garcia, Jail Warden.

This impossible at first initiative was taken on video and downloaded to You Tube website. It resulted to a series of monthly performance until the “Thriller” song of Michael Jackson hits big time through the internet. It caught the whole wide world the amazing performance of these inmates. And recently, the Sony Entertainment uploaded inmates’ well-synchronized jail yard routine performance in YouTube which now has more than 1.7M views (January 22-28, 2010). It was a splendid performance participated in by no less than Michael Jackson’s choreographer, Travis Payne who led the 1,200 inmates clad in regulation orange prison trousers and black shirts that featured the DVD’s logo of the “This is It” DVD of rock superstar Michael Jackson.

This is a new Filipino mark. Again Filipinos are accomplishing great achievements of their lives as they continue combating poverty, graft and corruption, and many others. In spite of a very discouraging situation and conditions, and its apparent diversity of culture, one man introduced a cataclysmic metamorphosis in jail management. And he is Byron Garcia.

I should say that he is just one man making a mark of his life to be remembered by generations of his time. His ultimate aim of converting criminal thugs to a civil person ready to be accepted back to a civil society by introducing music and dance as a last recourse of refuge only show to the world that criminals can still be a good person. Byron’s concept changed the theoretical aims and practices of penology. It carries with the principle of love and compassion as it  is being taught many Christians denominations.

By this ultimate inmates’ performance, these inmates again show up the very essence of their own spirit, and their love of arts and culture in spite of their own criminal acts committed against society.

An inmate who can be noted is Leo Suico, a former policeman awaiting 6 years for multiple murder charges.  He said that inside the prison cell is boring and because of this dancing routines, it diverted their time and forget their own problems. Indeed, music and dancing is an excellent medicine for anger, hatred, frustrations, and lost of hope. It gives the inmates a new dimension of living life to the fullest with music and dances as their close companion.

I just want to comment on WMG’s case of the so-called “unauthorized use of the music in public performance” which disabled the music of the inmates performance. It was a selfish act of infringing the rights of the benefactors who bought the piece of music and used it in a public performance. I do believe that such performance was never intended to raise certain amount of money to benefit a certain people, it was a public performance shown to the whole public world how inmates are getting involve of changing their own lives through music and dances.

I was just curious with WMG of disabling their music which was already bought from their music stand. If we will consider this as illegal on the part of the performers, why is it that WMG did not ran after intellectual property pirates before?… or did you see, it’s whole wide world violating?! Why just now when it has helped hardened criminals to become good persons at again? Why deprive them the chance? I just hope that authorities need to look into this matter so as not to discourage others to follow suit the track of performance that CPDRC have achieved.

I believe the rights to the music has already been bought by the time the buyer get a copy of the music. Of course, with certain other limitations as stipulated by law.

I should like to express my congratulations to Byron Garcia and Leo Suico who played important roles in rehabilitating the hardened criminals to become humane again. Thank you for sharing your unique thoughts about them. Indeed, both of you won the eyes of the whole wide world to it. Keep it up!

I’ll be one of those who will frequently view your video clips at You Tube….promise ko yan.

SENATE, A VENUE OF PERSONAL PRIDE; A BEDROCK OF BITTER ARGUMENTS

Yesterday, I’ve had the chance of viewing live the senate session on TV. Senator Cayetano and Senator Enrile were on a huddle about the absence of Senator Villar to answer accusations on C-5 project; insertion of P200million, diversion of a road to benefit the land allegedly owned by the latter…etcetera; the one presiding was Senator Jinggoy.

I was amazed about the talents that these senators gallantly arguing each other on the issues against Senator Villar. There were a lot other terminologies which I am not quite familiar of but what I have understood is that the senate badly wanted the presence of Senator Villar to answer on the floor the accusations lodge against him. Senator Cayetano as he continually delivered his sponsorship speech was several times interpellated and was possibly was not able to deliver the substance of his sponsorship until finally he gave in to the ruling circumstance that thrive the senate hall into answering misinterpreted perceptions which was not meant to be had it been allowed Senator Cayetano to finish.

Ethically, the attitude of Senator Jambie, though she calmly stood up to defend her ego because her last name was mentioned by Senator Cayetano, but in the end, she erupted like a crying wolf about to eat a prey shouting “corruption!…corruption!…” with all bitterness of heart. Well, I cannot blame her for that. It was normal for a senator with all that egoistic altruism in herself shouting probably about the truth of the matter; while in fact, they were talking about “ethical order” in the senate.

Though I’m not an expert on senate orderliness, but I can say that the attitude of the senators as they argue among themselves was a kind of apparent display of self-pride and self-glorification. And in this behavioral essence, I was not able to find in their arguments the altruistic focus on the issue of great concern for the nation and instead it brought out, at the least, the hidden “heartaches” on their past events that they all kept in their hearts.

As Senator Cayetano was fairly explaining their sides, I felt something on the arguments of Senator Roxas and Senator Jambie a hidden tilt which obviously single out the ethics case of Senator Villar as if the latter is guilty as accused. Senator Cayetano gallantly defended the rights of Senator Villar as he continued to say that the senate is not yet an appropriate venue to discuss or deliberate the issue on Villar because it is election time and he believe that the senate at the moment cannot yet render an impartial proceeding because of the election. It was plain and simple. But the throw offs against Villar was the point of insistence creating speculative doubts on the credibility of Senator Villar.

I felt also that in that particular proceeding, Senator Villar has already been convicted of a crime; and the arguments of the Senators involve of crucifying him was directed to it, hence, the insistence. The disorderly behavior, as I see it, was a normal behavior of children fighting each other for a piece of lollipop!

It was not long after Senator Cayetano give in and with lots of apologizes ended his sponsorship speech in favor of Senator Joker Arroyo who gallantly questioned the whole proceedings. He sought the fairness of the senate to render an impartial judgment on the case and whether they can rally a 2/3 vote to impose what is constitutionally required to either suspend or expel a senate member.

It was Senator Arroyo who stroke the balance of arguments that heated out disorderly. He sought to resolve the matter precisely to clear an avenue of plenary argument that may take place after. But the Senate President promised to resolve the matter by today.

I can say that Senator Arroyo have splendidly plain the matter fully well making all the arguments presented earlier to have no great worth or lesser in value in terms of striking the balance of the playing field. For me, his speech has tremendous impact over those arguments. I can see that while all are fighting to reach a win-point , everybody has gone awry to the real objective of the matter which is the real subject as earlier presented in the plenary.

Without Senator Arroyo’s wisdom in the senate, everybody would have exercised the worst historic argument ever had because of a subject matter at hand which gone out of parametric balance.

However, I should say, what I have witnessed was the worth of it. And I plainly hope that the senators were able to realize that the whole plenary session  as they acted according to their own powers and authority rendered nothing but a zero-strike.

It was as it may, I still believe in the Congress. There are few good people in them that strike the balance in exercising the faith of the people by their own gallantry.

I just hope that the senators will just refrain from making the senate floor the venue of personal pride and bedrock of bitter arguments that has nothing to do with the welfare of the people and nation. I suggest they would just have to forget their own selves.