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“Kinsay mag-tuo? Matod pa gani ninyo nga kamo gi-lantaw nga mga si-ot sa katilingban. Karon, nahimo na kamong sama sa mga humot nga halaman nga naghatag og garbo dili lamang sa lalawigan sa Sugbo, kung dili sa tibu-ok nasod sa Pilipinas.” — Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia (Oct. 12, 2007)

(Translation: Who would expect? You were treated like dirt among the community. But now, you are like beautiful flowers, which give pride and glory, not only for the province of Cebu, but the entire Philippine nation.)

That’s the beauty of music. They can’t get that from you… Haven’t you ever felt that way about music? — Tim Robbins, as Andy Dufresne, in Shawshank Redemption

Noooooo!

It wasn’t murder, stealing cameras (and kidnapping their owners), or a corpse secret of stashing ill-gotten wealth!

I’ve been hinting these a few days ago, and somehow, been drawn there with a firsthand buzz from another photographer-friend, Giovanni Omega, and my other partner-in-crime, photography award-winner Melvin Tezon. On Saturday, the 23rd this month, I’ll never thought we’d go behind bars. (Click the photos to view their large pop-in sizes.)

…that I witnessed something spectacular (again), this time. A quick bus ride from the western side of the Capitol Building to the junction of Beverly Hills and Opra was a thrill.

(Perhaps, this was to keep the notion of brewing another People Power revolution in the country.)

But another kind of revolution has invaded a prison here in Cebu City, creating a mass wave of online support – ticked at more than 12 million views in Youtube, as of this post time. You’ve got to see to believe how ready the forces of these docile and sober elements can-do once the first note hits in the air with their cool “Sister Act,” snappy “Thriller” grooves, or get drawn in an ethereal, albeit an enigmatic Sinulog beat (unbeknownst to the two million populace of the grand street parade last January 20.)

Kidding aside, I went to see the world renowned dancing inmates (and met new photographer friends including Ruben Shan and the Cebuano folk hero, Esteban Escudero and Golyat fame!)

As if the Carbon experience, in the article, “Carbon Life: Humanity’s Gritty Existence,” wasn’t enough to illicit another round of apprehensions, I feared that I might lose my camera again (or find myself fighting, bloody bones pop apart, with inmates in an unprecedented jailbreak.)

There goes a photographer’s uneasy life, you know. Perhaps, that is one definitive reason why I completely shunned my journalism career – of war-torn assignments, to see un-Hollywood kind-of-gore, where the Coen brothers staked their Oscar hearts into, in their latest, gruesome award-winning opus “No Country for Old Men.”

I gaped.

You have to consider if your life is in danger, when confronted with this sharp, silvery-edged thought.

But I digress.

So, you think prison walls are a hopeless case? Think again, inside are the best stories about hopes, families and dreams to become better persons.

There is a world inside detention cells which advocates the learning curves of slack and apathy; one that calls for total mind, body and soul renewal; a supportive environment of self-development and individual expression most sought after in honor and obligation. A world where music becomes their literal, universal language of the soul, a world of light and shadow converging to fuse “dancing as a positive expression,” where good and evil is obviously waging eternal battle, escaping into the artistic sides of these trapped souls. It is the world of the New Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC). Perhaps, this is the greatest reality show ever produced by Cebuanos from the Philippines, spearheaded by the Province of Cebu’s Byron Garcia, Consultant on Security.

My heart tightened for a moment. I was the 301st person to enter into a room full of local and foreign visitors, where a convicted criminal, handcuff-free, mingled with ordinary citizens! Foot by foot, as I neared him, I had to do a rain check. And for all of our ignorance, this human being would educate us the peripherals of a TV, why there are all those additive colors of tiny red, green, and blue squares collecting in their electron spaces, to give us the maximum viewing pleasure: all those audio-visual signals and spectrum – in techno speak. It was impossible, for us audience, not to acknowledge an applause and cheers.

Not only it addressed the need for expressing creativity amongst the inmates, as an outlet to their much needed freedom, Garcia has proved that music is one way we can live with each other in peace and harmony, aside from creating livelihood programs for them and their families.

Further, Mr. Garcia would cap a joke, asking the same inmate, to distinguish between a sentence and a life sentence.

Garcia, as of the 23rd of Saturday, confirmed that there are 1,538 inmates at CPDRC. Beyond that limit, “I will be forced to put a signboard outside the gates, ‘FULLY BOOKED – NO VACANCY,’” he said.

We erupted into guffaws.

Results of his resolute, “allowable capacity policy” on limiting the population of the inmates has slapped him three contempt cases from local judges already. When asked by them, he would simply rebut the rule of courts that it was for the prisoners’ welfare to address the insuperable congestion problems – what other prisons are facing in our country today. And what a perfect example indeed! Not only it addressed the need for expressing creativity amongst the inmates, as an outlet to their much needed freedom, Byron has proved that music is one way we can live with each other in peace and harmony, aside from creating livelihood programs for them and their families.

The question, at that time, all riddling in my mind: Just how do I get out from these high security walls of CPDRC, even if I have an ID, if… um, OKAY! My Nikon camera is limited to simple functions like point-and-shoot; ably zoom its lens to some meager extent; and adjusts a good swirl on a tripod and will NEVER be used as a pitchfork, just in case when things go out of hand.

But we were all assured. These guys are safe to be with – we can even meet them upclose and personal after the show!

The opening salvo was impressive, all music hits that rock the country by storm: the synchronize dancing of “Do the Hustle.” Then, it was followed by a Gregorian piece, “I Will Follow Him,” “Hail! Holy Queen,” the popular Muslim rhythm, “Dayang,” and the fun drill with “Rico Mambo.” We were treated with an extended version that day (about a couple more hit songs), instead of the usual 14 songs they presented before.

Do the Hustle (Do It!)

A classic was thrown in, too! Pachelbel’s “Canon in D major.” The crowd-favorite Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was a show stopper. A video on that practice, the original video uploaded by Garcia, himself, is shown below.

These guys deserve a big break; of course, I am not talking about the chaotic kind. And they got it! They are stars in their own rights since Day One they surprised the world with their sleek algorithm moves. Now, they’re famous with their uncanny feat, as far as United Kingdom’s pop culture and media has brought in with their correspondents (not to mention CNN’s gang also). You could surmise, the next igloo-man is watching them this very minute dancing to the tune of a Sinulog beat!

The visit / experience to see the CPDRC dancing inmates expensed me these valuable lessons in life:

1. Most of the time, we spend ourselves worrying about the spoils of democratic life. We tend to complain why our parents don’t allow us to go past 10 pm with barkadas; why life is ridden with problems and petty yet crippling circumstances; why our days are punctuated with the boring and the routine; and somehow buffet over our feelings – indignant with friends who are disapproving or critical. Be thankful, you are a free man!

 

2. Prison walls are made of stones and steel, but no amount of man-made structures can imprison the human heart. Be glad, today, and for the rest of your journey around the sun, you don’t end up trying to admire beautiful sunrises (or sunsets) in a claustrophobic space, scrawling off your days on some dingy, cemented walls.

 

3. You can be the worst criminal mankind has ever produced; gone through the harshest punishment in this life; and served your sentence with suffering and resilience; but, it’s never too late to personally apologize, ask forgiveness for your crimes while yet alive. Again, be thankful, even to those who wronged you, your freedom is none compared to what you are enjoying now.

I will leave these quotes to you, my dear friends, by Morgan Freeman, as Red narrating in that fine movie, Shawshank Redemption, “I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don’t want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I’d like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can’t be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.”

Photography contribution: Melvin Tezon

(Author’s note: The blurring / rippling effects of these photos were done manually while capturing the live performances and are not, in anyway, post-processed in graphic softwares such as Photoshop.)

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