FEP II: Kakosa, Kaklase – See, Judge, Discern

Kakosa, Kaklase tells the heartbreaking yet hopeful story of those trapped in darkness,

suffering and craving for the light to shine upon them. New Bilibid Prison houses criminals with

varying levels of threat. There are some who have only stolen a few food supplies and there are

some who have committed acts of murder. “Criminals are scum of the Earth!” is what most

people say when they see a criminal getting caught and dragged away by the police. People look

down on them because they’re people who have bad intentions and inflict harm onto others. As

they have no place in society, they’re locked up for a certain period of time but for some, it could

last a lifetime. What does society gain from these individuals being put behind bars? Justice has

been served as criminals become inmates at prison and the community is safe again. Now that

everyone is happy, what about these criminals? Nobody really knows their true intentions behind

their actions but one thing to consider is that some of them have absolutely no choice. I’m not

speaking for every inmate but there are some who have just lost their way. It could be that they

weren’t able to continue their studies and they were left behind by the people they thought loved

and cared for them. With nowhere to go, the last resort is to commit acts of violence, theft, and

much more just to get by. These type of inmates are the ones who are worth hearing their story

but the title they hold as criminals automatically makes people shut their doors. Once they’re

caught, their rights as a human are automatically erased and they’re treated like trash. It doesn’t

matter if this certain inmate got caught by only stealing a few apples from the grocery store to

bring home to his or her family. As they didn’t finish their education, people immediately claim

they know nothing. As long as they did something bad, they’re nothing but pieces of scrap,

waiting to be swiped away. If I were to speak for these kind of criminals, they feel like a piece of

garbage that is waiting to be thrown away. They were only finding a way to provide for

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 themselves and their families. There are only two things that keep them behind bars. It is

society’s fear of crimes being escalated to the point that safety isn’t an option anymore and pure

hatred against those who do bad things.

After hearing how some of the inmates felt about society’s perception of them, I felt like

the treatment towards them is unjust. In the eyes of society, they are nothing but a bunch of

hopeless cases. At some point, I had the same views as other people. There is nothing I wished

except for these criminals to be punished without question. I was driven fear because I didn’t

want to encounter a criminal because I could either die or lose something very valuable to me.

Though I did not directly say it to their faces, I can tell that these people were still affected. It’s

because I was not only one who had that point of view and it could be through other people that

these inmates found out about how society sees them. The combined negative perceptions of

society against them must have taken a toll on their mental health. The hatred for them must have

been too much that they feel like they should be just punished as there is nothing that can help

them. It depends on the institution they’re brought but most inmates suffer abuse or torture from

the patrolling officers in the area because they have the same perceptions as the people outside.

Some are even killed in the process. What should be happening is that society should be a little

more open-minded. There’s a fine line between criminals who steal to provide against criminals

who kill for the fun of it. Obviously, those who have committed the latter should be given a

second chance to redeem themselves. There are criminals who have a story and there are those

who are born out of pure evil.

Fortunately, my views changed after watching numerous videos, including the

documentary, on how prisons can be actually rehabilitation centers for criminals. In New Bilibid

Prison, they provide numerous programs for the inmates to take from education to extra-

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 curricular activities. It’s a form of rehabilitation wherein inmates are given a second chance to

become a law abiding member of society. To be honest, my faith has been restored after seeing

how some of the inmates from New Bilibid prison want to continue their education. The 1xt

inmate’s story actually warmed my heart. He says the little girl wearing a toga in his ID case is

his daughter who is his inspiration to pursue his studies. It turns out that it was just random

picture of a little girl he picked up. What this told me was that he only wanted to feel like there is

someone waiting for him beyond the four walls of the prison and that he doesn’t want this

someone to be ashamed of his past wrongdoings. The other inmate’s determination in his studies

led him to become the top of his class and given that he was to be released only a few months

from that day, he was ready to present himself as a new person to society. What you can observe

here is that to fill the gap between the present and future is to be have faith. Faith plays an

important role in filling the gap because it’s what will open eyes to the rest of the world who

have turned a blind eye to the unjust treatment towards some inmates. With faith, one can be

open-minded and allow inmates to prove their worth.

I envision students or academic professionals and people from the working industry to join

forces and create an organization that sees hope in inmates and sees their potential to be brought

back into society as a respective individual. Programs such as Alternative Learning System

(ALS) and short courses that can help them land a decent job are an excellent form of

rehabilitation. Again, some inmates have a heart and have only been led astray by temptation.

They only need to be given a second chance by society to do whatever it takes to be accepted.

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