Longest Punishment
By Lilith Mae Orola
IT'S PRETTY
sad to think that there are so many dilemmas our world is facing
today. How much more if your world revolves around a prison cell?
Of course you may say the prisoners deserve to be there because
of the illegal and harmful things they did. But think again--not
all of them there are guilty. And what's more, most of them there
rot inside till their souls depart from their bodies, when in fact,
they should be there for only a year or two. Tsk, tsk, tsk!
I am a social
work major in UP Diliman. I did not expect that my class' one-day
visit to the women's "prisoners' community" in Mandaluyong
would leave such a deep mark in my heart. I call it a "prisoner's
community" because it is indeed one hell of a community.
It's a pity
to think that most of the prisoners Are guilty of estafa; and some
property stealing. The social worker said that there are less than
five of them who were charged of murder or cases that heavy. She
said that most of them stay there for seven years or more, not really
because that is what the court says but because of procedural delay
fors in the prodessing of papers for their release. There are thousands
of prisoners in the Philippines who are just waiting for President
Macapagal's signature for their release.What punishment they receive!
And it's funny
to think that we are probably the only country with such "long
punishments". In other countries like Australia and the United
States of America, they are usually given terms of two to three
years in prison, a lot better than what the Filipino prisoners get--seven
years to life imprisonment.
Ever wondered
how that affects their families and their lives? Wow! Seeing the
women there made me think that they must be so brave and strong
to survive that kind of ordeal. It's like breathing without really
being alive.
Being a social
work student, I know I will see even worse cases than theirs. But
you can bet I'll never forget the day I visited them. And I am complaining
of my "cruel" world? And you, are you aware of how lucky
you are?
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Lilith is 21 years old.
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