Caloocan jail allows inmates, families overnight Christmas visit

MANILA, Philippines - The Caloocan City Jail prisoners were allowed yesterday an overnight visitation to let them celebrate Christmas with their families.

“This is our way of letting the inmates fell the real spirit of Christmas by observing it with their family especially the kids,” jail warden Superintendent Lyndon Torres said.

The jail management prepared parlor games with clowns especially for the children of apart from a gift-giving and gift exchange activities among the more than 1,200 prisoners.

“We are really grateful to the present jail leadership for the activity because despite being in prison we could still celebrate Christmas with our family,” Ben Rabang, 72, who has been in prison for the past eight years, said.

Patricio Padolina, 60, who has spent nine Christmases in jail, said he was happy because he could mingle with his fellow prisoners’ families. He said none of his relatives has visited him for the past seven years.

The Christmas visit started at 10 a.m. yesterday and ends at 7 a.m. today.

Only legitimate members of the inmates’ family were allowed to enter the prison facility and children below three years old were also banned as part of a safety measure, Torres said