Tuesday, September 4, 2007

YES! CEBU'S INMATES CAN DANCE!

INMATES HAVE BEEN, in the past, associated with prison riots, daring break-outs and mass jailbreaks; but here in Cebu, the Philippines, inmates have not been giving headaches to their jail guards lately. In fact, they gave their guardians a perfect sense of security by being "good" inmates, in the most literal sense of the word, in a province-owned and operated prison facility that is the CPDRC or the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, which is located in the hills of Barangay Kalunasan in Cebu City. Jail wardens of other prison facilities must be green with envy of why CPDRC was able to achieve such relative penal peace with regards to managing their "boarders". Just an out-of-the-box creativity and artistry, a little freedom of movement and some incentive package have made our Cebuano inmates famous when it was featured in the Internet showing them in a mass workout of dancing artistry that is way beyond their toughie character and macho image. Their videos were the most watched when it was featured at YouTube recently and you would not miss it for it is highlighted in ORANGE with a white letter P at the back. So enjoy it while you can:

THRILLER



RADIO GA GA



JUMBO HOTDOG




ALGORITHM MARCH



Believe you me, I once worked as a jail guard of CPDRC when it was located yet at M.J. Cuenco Avenue, also in Cebu City. From February 1989 up to September 1990 I cradled a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun walking my rounds on the prison wall's catwalks from tower guardhouse to tower guardhouse, be it day, night or graveyard shift. There was a shaky truce then between us and the inmates then who were greatly politicized and influenced by inmates who have criminal cases against the state, particularly of subversion and of rebellion, and aggravated, by the fact, that they were detained in an old facility good for 250 inmates when their total population then was swelling to about 1,500. Thanks to that newer, bigger and more modern facility at Kalunasan, CPDRC administration are experiencing better days ahead. Even the good reviews at YouTube. What will their next dance move be?

Document done in AbiWord 2.4, Trebuchet MS font, size 12.