Abra school project brings hope to local PDLs

BAGUIO CITY — Students and teachers from public elementary schools in Bucay, Abra participated in a program where they wrote encouraging and supportive letters to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in a local Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility.

PDLs from Bucay District Jail recently expressed their gratitude to Bangcagan Primary School, Pagala West Elementary School and Pagala East Elementary School for participating in Project SOBREH (Sending our Best Regards, Embraces and Heartfelt Connections).

"Sa bawat liham, isang pag-asa ang nabubuhay. Sa bawat tugon, isang puso ang nagiging buo," jail staff said in a statement posted on social media.

"Ang BJMP Bucay District Jail ay taos pusong nagpapasalamat sa ating mga guro at mag-aaral sa programang ito na nagpapakita ng patuloy na pagmamahal at pag unawa sa aming mga PDL, isang katunayan na hindi kinalilimutan ng komunidad ang ating mga kapatid sa loob ng piitan,"

Project SOBREH is an initiative of School Principal III Mary Hazel Ballena, who was honored in 2023 with the 2023 Dangal ng Bayan award from the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

She is also one of three Filipino recipients of the 2022 Southeast Asian Educational Innovation Awards (SEA EIA) by SEAMEO INNOTECH, which she won for a previous project, TEACH TALK (Teachers’ Engagement, Action, and Commitment in Assisting Learners at Home to Think, Ask, Listen, and Build New Knowledge). During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, when face-to-face classes were suspended, two-way radios were distributed to students allowing them to participate in lessons from home.

PDL programs

As part of Project SOBREH, students, with the guidance of their teachers, write letters, which they place in envelopes made from recycled denim and send to PDLs in Bucay's jail.

On Mondays, teachers visit the jail to collect the PDLs' replies to students.

In addition to the letter exchange, the teachers and students also organize a feeding program for the PDLs.

Ballena shared in a message to the Department of Education (DepEd) Philippines that these activities allow students to meet and interact with their "pen friends," providing them with a better understanding of the PDLs' circumstances. She emphasized that these interactions help the children appreciate the importance of reaching out and the positive impact it has on both the giver and the receiver.