Lonely people haunt memories

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

Roger D. Sinot

Part 2

SOLANO, Nueva Vizcaya – Every inmate has a story to tell. In their own versions, some believe they are outcasts while others do not. To recall, in the movie “Castaway” starring Tom Hanks who played Chuck Noland, the clock-conscious Federal Express manager got stranded on a desert island. Completely cut off from other people and modern convenience, he must learn the primitive skills of a caveman.

He puts laborious effort into harpooning fish, making fire by rubbing sticks and opening a coconut to get its milk and sweet meat. The movie is rich with insights on how difficult life can become for one who is stranded in an isolated wilderness. Inmates in isolated camps feel the same way as Chuck Noland did. Being separated from civilization and being trapped in a camp surrounded by barbed wires and jail guards makes them castaways.

           

Valdez, a detainee for seven months now feels as if his world has stopped turning upon his entry to a jail. John, an inmate for five years said, “I counted days to months, months to years…” and fears that comes a time when he cannot count the years anymore.

Dewey who was in his teens in the 70s during Eaglemania now understands the real meaning of the Eagles hit song “Hotel California” line that goes “… you can check in anytime you want, but you can never leave…”

Rita who was in for child trafficking said, “a mistake in my past paralyzes the present and bankrupts the future.” She is now a member of the Free Believers Fellowship group that does religious service in the jail.  

Raymond is in jail for a month and two weeks now, for attempted rape, sings “If tomorrow never comes” while Johnny who was jailed for a crime he did not commit recited a line from Martin Luther King Jr. – “I have a dream.” He expressively called for freedom to ring from the topmost tower of the camp where a jail guard watches over the inmates below. He said there must be freedom for the oppressed and the downtrodden, as if justice is only for the moneyed and those who have connections in the judiciary.

Lady jail guard Anna, said that one stays in the camp while waiting for acquittal. Guilt must be proven beyond reasonable doubt, explaining further that the inmate’s fate is hundred per cent dependent on the verdict of the judge. She said they are also strict on the “no righteousness, no freedom” policy where an inmate can be recommended for probation, provided he proves to be of good moral character.

While in a gathering of four, it was found out that the talk in the camp was about what was to be done with government. Most of the inmates feel and shout out loud that government officials found out to be corrupt should be welcomed and join them in their prison cells – whether they are barangay captains, mayors, governors, congressmen or senators.

They claim that in other countries, corrupt officials are put in jail but here in the Philippines, they are voted into government offices. If only the inmates are given the chance, they would join the march to Quirino Grandstand to denounce the misuse, abuse and wastage of billions of people’s money under the Priority Development Assistance Fund, the latest incarnation of the pork barrel. But as the saying goes, “In your dreams” – it is only in their dreams that they can march to Luneta.

Life is a book that is lived one chapter at a time. If one thinks his fruitful years are behind him, he must remember that he is writing a new chapter. Learn to live each day with contentment. To the good Warden Tapiru and his staff, more power to you. To the more than 250 inmates, I extend Bob Dylan’s line “may your wishes all come true.” Happy trails to all. - RDS