Twenty-four-year-old paralegal Jason Balag-ey isn’t satisfied with bringing peace and justice to the court rooms of Baguio. He wants it to reign on the streets of his hometown, too. As a victim of gang violence during his high school days, Jason has had his share of bruises and bullying from gang members. As the years went by, his experience of this type of violence escalated. One evening, Jason chanced upon a man murdered by having his head split open from gang wars on the pavement that he treads on every day. This incident, and many others, awakened Jason’s strong sense of justice to retaliate.
Yet, he did not fight back with his fists. He came back at them with his legal skills and a very warm handshake. Jason, an experienced youth leader since grade school, sought out to bring these gang members together and reform them to stop violence on the streets. And thus, Brotherhood of Peace was born in 2008 to give an option for young people to end the cycle of hate. Instead of the usual gang initiation activities of sarap (rape) or hirap (hazing), these members are given a path to enrich their lives as “tomboys,” as one former gang member Chad Martin relates. They are now given the chance to rap to large audiences and wrap gifts for inmates as one of their community projects, thus molding their environment into something more colorful and creative than imagined, and making Baguio City something worth calling their own.
From rape to rapping and wrapping gifts
In the beginning, Jason had an easy time gathering these gangs because he would meet them in his profession as a paralegal. They would ask his assistance for incidents on theft. Jason admits though that he was skeptical at first about his project because he thought that “calling 10 gangs in one room was stupid because it would give them a reason to fight.” However, Jason discovered that the brotherhood could thrive through music as rap is an outlet for gangs to release their problems, anger, and fight one another. As such, the Brotherhood has set up rap jam concerts that brought former rivals together to sing for friendship with crowds of 2,000 people or more as each group has 200 members under its wing.
Aside from producing rap music and videos, the Brotherhood, through Jason’s other community partners such as the Rotary Club or the police, has given its members the green light to clean up the vandalism on Baguio’s monuments. They also have outreaches with inmates during Christmas to show the true ill effects of crime. On a personal level, former gang members are much happier because they can roam the streets without fear as they walk into their rivals’ territory. In return for a richer life, 23 out of 28 gangs in Baguio have signed Brotherhood of Peace’s mutual agreement to stop “gulo” in their areas. They have discontinued wearing their sacred gang handkerchiefs to signify their brotherhood with the community, and this has stopped gangs from attacking innocent bystanders who wear rival handkerchief colors.
This is why Jason, who dodges the bullets of politics working in a community org, still continues to fight for the Brotherhood as he sees lives fulfilled out of it, like his grandfather William Sr. would do as a barangay captain. In fact, Jason was stabbed in the head this year, trying to cool down a heated argument between two gangs. He says that event made him question why he was heading such a organization. Yet, he eventually took it as one of the challenges that come with the job. This is especially true as he has earned the respect of the gangs for keeping his promises and getting things done.
A message of understanding
With these words, Jason has become a vibrant example for me, and hopefully, you, that peace on earth is not something that happened on Christmas Day thousands of years ago or can only happen once a year. It is something that can happen now. It only requires our initiative, understanding, effort and time to reach out to others. If we strive to do this every day, then we may have peace on earth or at least within our streets and true brotherhood among all people. Merry Christmas!
* * *
pasasalamat sa aking mga kasama
na ako ay hinde iniwan nung dumating
ang problema
pasasalamat sayong abot kamay
hinde ka kalimutan salamat sa magabay
dumating ang puntong hinde ko kaya
nadyan kayo parin sumusuporta
salamat
--"Pasalamat" by Brotherhood of Peace
* * *
Brotherhood of Peace is a winner of the TAYO (Ten Accomplished Youth) Awards by the National Youth Commission last December held in Malacañang. For feedback, e-mail me at readnow@supreme.ph.