PDLs get second chance at rebuilding lives

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is offering more than 113,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) a “second chance and a new beginning” through livelihood and skills training programs designed to foster real change and a renewed sense of purpose.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced that this initiative is part of its commitment to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to “deliver justice with compassion” and build a “Bagong Pilipinas” where no one, “not even those behind bars,” is left behind.

To date, more than 112,000 PDLs have participated in these programs across the country’s jails. The DILG stressed that behind these numbers are individual stories of “pain, hope and transformation.”

One such story is that of Sandy Pagobo, a single father of three and a former PDL from Danao City Jail.

His journey toward rehabilitation began while he was incarcerated, where he enrolled in a Shielded Metal Arc Welding Training program offered by Cebu Technological University. Pagobo’s dedication led him to mentor fellow PDLs through the Sari-Sari Skills Training Program PDL Edition. He now works as a pipe fitter in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

“This is all for my change, Ma’am. For my three children whom I want to finish college. That’s why I was determined to go abroad and by God’s grace, I made it,” Pagobo said.

“Lisa” (not her real name), currently detained at Legazpi City Jail, has utilized the BJMP’s livelihood programs to learn how to make doormats, bayong bags, dishwashing liquid, and even grow food through hydroponics. Her earnings as a livelihood worker now allow her to send P1,000 weekly to her son, who is in Grade 12.

“I used to think I had no future. But because of these livelihood programs, I learned skills I never thought I could use, even while imprisoned. I can now help my son despite my situation,” Lisa said.

Another PDL, “Joy,” a single mother of two in Balungao District Jail, found her turning point in the kitchen. Before her detention, Joy had balanced multiple informal jobs. Her transformation began when she joined the Cookery NC II program, a 40-day culinary course offered by TESDA in partnership with the BJMP.

Joy now helps manage the jail’s internal kitchen, providing meals for fellow PDLs and mentoring other women. Her dream is to open a small carinderia upon her release, one that welcomes and empowers other women like her.

“I want to feed not just the stomach but also the dreams of people like me who have lost their way. Cooking brought back my self-confidence. Now, I have hope again to provide a good future for my children,” Joy said.