A total of 4,230 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the Quezon City Jail were the recipients on Saturday, Sept. 14, of the feeding program and free medical check-up the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said.
BJMP-National Capital Region (NCR) Chief Supt. Clint Russel Tangeres said the program was aimed at promoting good health and proper nutrition in the facility which is located in Barangay Payatas.
The program was sponsored by former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit’’ Singson, including livelihood opportunities upon their release from prison.
The BJMP-NCR chief pointed out that the bureau had undertaken numerous “after care programs’’ that will lay-out the foundation for them to have opportunities earning financial security through the various livelihood skills training that were provided for them.
He cited that 60 to 70 percent of the PDLs incarcerated in the said jail facility are facing drug charges with 30 percent of them being re-arrested for similar offenses.
In his message, Singson vowed job opportunities for the PDLs upon their release in prison citing Taiwan as being the world’s foremost microchip producers.
Aside from Taiwan, Singson stated that caregivers are also in demand in South Korea and Japan, which through his influence, can provide jobs for the PDLs after their release from prison.
Singson explained that companies and other employers are likely not to hire job applicants, who had served time in prison, prompting him to provide them with second chances of earning opportunities.
At the sidelines, Singson admitted running as an independent candidate, saying that the mayor’s league, which he previously headed, and the governor’s group urged him to seek a Senate seat.
However, Singson emphasized that the reason for conducting the “Feeding Program and Health Mission’’ at the Quezon City Jail is not about him running for the Senate.
For the longest time, Singson clarified of conducting numerous civic oriented programs, including giving a new lease of life to the PDLs.