BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio City Jail–Female Dorm said that some seven persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) are currently enrolled in various levels of education under the Tagapangalaga Ko, Guro Ko program of the facility.
Under this program, jail officers who are licensed teachers voluntarily assist and tutor the PDLs pursuing their studies.
Jail Senior Inspector Joan Bacalan, acting warden of the Baguio city Jail–Female Dorm, said that there are already two PDLs who are enrolled in junior high school, three are in senior high school and two are enrolled in the College Education Behind Bars (CEBB).
Further, she added that the ‘Skill Mo, Share Mo’ program continues to be actively implemented in the facility where skilled personnel and PDLs share their expertise through various training sessions.
According to her, as a result, 100 percent of the PDLs have benefited from various skills development activities such as smocking, flower pattern making, bread, cake, and pastry making, bonsai, beads crafting, bayong bag weaving, and floral decoration using fuzzy wires.
Moreover, 100 percent of the facility’s PDLs have benefitted from a 4-day basic sketching and acrylic painting workshop conducted by the Baguio Elderly Artists Council (BEAC) through the facility’s continuous linkages with service providers to sustain developmental activities for the PDLs.
As part of the facility’s skills training initiatives, and in collaboration with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Baguio City Jail–Female Dorm facilitated the bread and pastry production National Certification (NC) II assessment for six PDLs and two personnel.
Bacalan reported that all participants successfully passed the stringent assessment and were awarded their respective NC II certificates.
To provide livelihood assistance and enhance the skills of the PDLs through the Department of Labor and Employment’s Livelihood Enhancement Program, the facility successfully coordinated the awarding of livelihood materials for baking, bayong bag making and bead craft that benefitted 100 percent of qualified PDLs.
Bacalan pointed out that these accomplishments reflect the hard work and dedication of the facility and the support from the community, thus, she expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the city government for its unwavering commitment to their efforts and to all their service providers as their support has been instrumental in enhancing the well-being of the women in their care. By Dexter A. See
