Jail business

For the past three years, close to 15 inmates of the Quezon City Jail along E. de los Santos Ave. have translated their skills into cash while isolated from the rest of society.

"Our first livelihood project was tailoring and dressmaking. We had a P10,000 budget from the national government and the local government of Quezon City," said Jail Officer 2 Ariel Macabuhay. "We started with an edger and high-speed machine. City Hall gave us four more machines. The clients of the project were the inmates themselves and their visitors who needed to have their clothes repaired for P10 per piece."

Other livelihood projects have since been introduced, including the popular paper craft, which has 10 inmate-entrepreneurs, and stuffed toys.

Since December, some inmates have also ventured into meat processing.

"They started making longganisa and tocino. Three weeks ago, they started a pork nuggets line," said Macabuhay. "Last December, some made cheese for a living. They made and sold chocolate hearts for Valentine’s."

Prices for services and products sold vary from the P25 per person charged by the barber to the P5,000 the creator of a metal dragon and horse charged buyer, Mandaluyong Mayor Benjamin Abalos, Jr.

Whatever income is generated is split 50-50, with half going to the inmate-entrepreneur and half going to support rehabilitation projects such as sports and religious renewal.

"The income is good. The inmates involved in repairing watches usually earn P200 during Sundays when there are more visitors and P50 for weekdays," said Macabuhay.

Expenses

Part of the cash generated by inmate-entrepreneurs go to food. Inmates have a daily food allowance of P35, up from P20 a day two years ago.

"If taken individually, the amount would hardly be enough for a meal outside jail. When you pool the food budget for 3,000 plus inmates, the sum is substantial. We are able to get more for the money by having the food prepared and cooked in a canteen inside the jail," said Macabuhay.

Breakfast for each inmate is five pieces of pan de sal. What the inmate eats for lunch and dinner depends on whether the inmate chooses to eat food prepared by the canteen or to cook the food himself in a designated area.

Another regular expense is a regular weekly fund-raiser called obligahan, where inmates pay P100 to be used in buying whatever the cell needs. Each of the 16 cell or brigadas also assigns the duty of cleaning up to the most recent entrant assigned to the cell.

"The livelihood program is part of the overall rehabilitation package being offered in most jail systems in the country as a result of the transfer of the jail and police system from the Philippine Constabulary to the Department of Interior and Local Government in the early 1990s. Here in Quezon City, the rehabilitation program is chaired by Inspector Zenaida Acosta.