At least 100 inmates, who are also members of the LGBTQ community, performed a dance on Monday, Oct.24, along with the National Correction Consciousness Week 2022 celebration. | Pegeen Maisie Sararaña
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Persons Deprived of Liberty, who are now detained at the male dormitory of the Cebu City Jail, showcased their talent in dancing during the celebration of the National Correctional Consciousness Week 2022 on Monday, Oct. 24.
Wearing yellow T-shirts and black pants, close to a hundred PDLs grooved to hiphop and latin songs as they freely expressed their love for dancing and showed their confidence in performing.
Their dance presentation was one of the highlights during the National Correctional Consciousness Week celebration, an annual activity organized by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to help inmates realize their full potentials and help them acquire self-esteem.
Jail Superintendent Mitz Placencia, warden of the male dormitory, expressed confidence that through dance, they will be able to use the talents of their PDLs for a good cause.
If they practice a little more, they could even come up with their own version of the dancing inmates, Placencia said.
“[Our] goal is yung kanilang pagkakakulong ay gawing kapakipakinabang. Kahit papaano may mabuting matutunan sa sarili, sa ugali, at trabaho na rin,” Placencia said.
The city jail’s dancing inmates program is part of their therapeutic program for the PDLs. At the same time, they wanted to give PDLs who are also members of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community to showcase their talents.
LGBTQ members, are not getting as much exposure as the other detainees since they are a minority group at the city jail, the warden said.
Placencia said he is happy that some of the PDLs volunteered to even join LGBTQ members in their dance.
The dance presentation that was made at the male dormitory’s quadrangle lasted for at least 30 minutes. It started at 9 a.m.
When the time comes that their performers are already set to do a public presentation, Placencia said, they look forward to opening their doors to spectators.
RELATED STORIES
Members of Cebu City Jail Male Dormitory LGBTQ community perform
Comeback being set for CPDRC dancing inmates
/dcb