Iloilo city: The city government here continuously embarks on an initiative that prepares persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) for life after jail and ensures no residents of Iloilo City will be left behind.
According to Philippines News Agency, over 100 male and female inmates have already benefited from various skills and livelihood training undertaken by the Technical Institute of Iloilo City (TIIC) since it started during the pandemic. TIIC offers pantry training consisting of bread and pastry making and food processing for male PDLs, while female PDLs have massage and beauty care, cooking, and food processing.
In an interview on Thursday, TIIC Administrator Mathilde Tre±as said they are rebranding their training to Skills, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Development Activity (SELDA) so they could bring other skills training activities inside the jail. “We will equip them with skills so they have options to earn money decently. Once they are released, they can go into business,” she said.
TIIC has community-based courses like beauty care, reflexology, computer hardware servicing, consumer electronics, food processing, baking, rag making, table skirting, carpentry, and computer operations, which they could introduce to willing PDLs. On Monday, the city government signed an agreement with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Philippine Foremost Milling Corp. (PFMC) for the jail pantry training, benefiting 30 PDLs at the male dormitory.
In the agreement, the city government, through TIIC, will provide the training, PFMC will supply the needed ingredients, and BJMP will choose who can avail. Tre±as said they would like to strengthen the training at the male dormitory because only 10 of their previous trainees were left. They would like to know what happened to the 20 others for possible aid, even if they are already released from jail. “We would like to know where they are because we don’t want to train for the time being, but we want this sustained,” she said.
Tre±as added PFMC has a training school and is willing to help them get employment after their release from the facility. The Department of Trade and Industry is also on board to provide them with training on entrepreneurship and financial literacy. On Aug. 1, the Negosyo Centers (NCs) of Oton and Zarraga conducted a one-day training for around 100 PDLs at the male dormitory.
“By giving PDLs access to livelihood training and financial education, the program aims to help them become more prepared to support themselves and their families, both now and once they rejoin the community,” the DTI said in a statement. The male dormitory as of Thursday has 1,604 PDLs.
