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As part of the requirements of the subject, the class is supposed to conduct an outreach activity to an institution of our choice. A couple of charitable institutions, nongovernmental organizations were forwarded as options, but the class eventually decided to do it with the inmates at the Manila City Jail. Now I was not the type to back out from adventure, but I must admit that I was rather sceptical about the chosen area having heard of and watched various jail riots from the Filipino movies that accompanied me as I was growing up as well as the sensationalized news articles from tabloids. However, the initial fears were assuaged by Dr. Piscos when he told us that the inmates that will be assigned to us were those who are considered harmless and are not part of any gangs. With my doubts and fears about our safety erased, the next thing that I worried was how I was supposed to interact with the people inside the city jail. Back when I was in nursing school, we were told never to ask Why- questions to our clients, our patients. I remember our instructor telling us that such type of questioning would put our interviewee on the defensive and we would not get our desired answers. How then can I conduct my one-on-one without asking him probing questions?

The Manila City Jail Experience

I was up early on the day of the outreach activity. I was raring to go and was actually quite excited for a new experience. I left for San Beda with only my ID since we were already briefed about the restrictions with regard to bringing of unnecessary items. On our way to the city jail, we were greeted with different sights. We passed by a side street lined with diploma-milling vendors and rows upon rows of what looked to be houses of informal settlers. Upon reaching the entrance of the Manila City Jail, we were then subjected to standard security checks, but not after inching our way through the throng of people who, just like us, were there to visit one of the inmates. Inside, we prepared for the program and each one of us were assigned an inmate to formally start the outreach activity. To my surprise, I and the inmate assigned to me have the same name. Going back to my old university professor, I remember her being specific about restricting us from asking Why-questions to our clients. However, she also told us to promote therapeutic communication by being a good listener. Thus, I encouraged him to talk about his experiences in and out of the city jail. My strategy must have worked for he also shared his dreams and future plans.

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Allans Story
It was July 24 of this year when Allan was accosted in Pasay upon allegations of drug trafficking following a buy-bust operation which took place during the birthday party of Allans mother which he attended. Allan is a 38 -year-old man from Tanay, Rizal. A father of four, he made a living as a driver of PAGCOR a job which he held for more than five years. On that fateful day, he left his Rizal home early in the morning, kissed his wife and children goodbye, and took an hour commute to his mothers home. He reached Pasay before lunch and was met by his mother and his other relatives. Being his mothers birthday, they had a feast and a drinking session. Unbeknownst to them, a group of policemen were observing them and a police mobile were patrolling the area. At around 4pm, they were rounded up by the authorities and, apparently, four packets of shabu were fished out from his pocket by one of the police officers. They were then brought to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for questioning. It was here where, according to him, the authorities produced the marked money which was used during the buy-bust operations. On that same day, they were brought to the Manila City Jail upon charges of violations of the Dangerous Drugs Act. The government then provided a lawyer from him who meets him during hearings. It has been three months since then and his case is still pending in the trial court. To this day, he maintains his innocence claiming that he was never in possession of those packets of prohibited drugs nor will he ever commit an offense in violation of the law mentioned earlier. Thus, despite the months that he has stayed in the city jail, he remains hopeful that he will be acquitted from all the charges against him and that one day, he will be reunited with his family.

Reflection: Spending some time with Allan, I was very careful not to show any sign of judgment. I was aware that I was far beyond condemning him considering that his case was still pending in court and even if he were to be found guilty beyond reasonable doubt, I, or anyone for that matter, has no moral ascendancy to condemn somebody for his transgressions. Besides, I know that hearing me moralize and preaching the ramifications of his actions is the last thing that he wants. My study of Criminal Law made me aware that there are two theories of penology: Classical or Juristic Theory and Positivist or Realistic Theory. The first theory stresses that every criminal has free will and knows the penal law. It is anchored on the

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belief that man is a rational being and that if threatened with punishment, he would refrain from committing any felony. In some respect, it echoes the philosophy of Socrates when he said that He who knows what good is will do good. As for the second theory, it is anchored on the basis that man is a moral being and, as such, he is inherently good. It considers a criminal only as a sick person who needs to be healed. Looking back, I have come to a deeper appreciation of those two theories of penology in light of what I have experienced talking with Allan and seeing the conditions of the inmates at the Manila City Jail. True, they ought to be punished for whatever crime that they have committed seeing that there are laws which forbade them from committing such; however, we must also be open to understanding their reasons for committing an offense against the law. At the end of our conversation, he told me that he would be glad if I could visit him once again. I did not give a definite answer; instead, I offered him a perfunctory Ill try reply. I really do not know if I will be back again for a visit. However, that very short time with him surely left a great impression on me. Allan is a father, a son, a brother, and a friend to somebody. There are people who care about him and who always have him in his prayers. Hence, it is not hard to believe that, despite wearing a shirt reminding us that he is an inmate of the Manila City Jail and despite living a day-to-day existence incarcerated within the confines of the said city jail, he is a good person. As we were on our way out of the city jail, I felt certain sadness at the thought of those inmates who will again be back to their routines. The whole time we were there, I have observed their genuine smiles from the games that we have prepared, their appetite from the hearty lunch that we served, and their willingness to share their life stories. I can just imagine how it would be after we left. After all, what we offered was just a temporary respite from their day-to-day activities. I then remembered the words uttered by Dr. Piscos in his lesson of Fundamental Option: You have to own your decisions in such a way that you may be able to face their consequences. For those men inside the city jail, they are now paying the consequences of their decisions. I can only wish the best for them.