Beyond bars: Iligan jail makes pitch for second chances

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — For seven days, the barbed wires and concrete perimeters of Iligan City Jail in Lanao del Norte will witness a quiet conversation about reformation and second chances.Jail authorities on Sunday morning rolled out a convoy through the industrial city’s main roads, launching the local run of the National Correctional Consciousness Week (NACOCOW) 2026. The message they brought along was simple: a detention cell should serve as a workshop for a broken life, not its terminal stop.This year’s observance carries the theme “Makataong Paglilingkod, Makabuluhang Rehabilitasyon, Pagbabagong May Layunin.”Jail Supt. Carlo Obrique, warden of the male dormitory, told the Inquirer on Sunday that correctional institutions are not only for custodial functions but also for centers of transformation.

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The week-long campaign brings together both the male and female dormitories of the city facility, focusing on preparing persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) for the day they walk past the gates and back into their communities.Sunday’s kickoff began with an awareness Mass inside the compound, followed by a voluntary bloodletting activity and a gathering to thank civilian groups and local offices that assist in prison upkeep and inmate welfare.Over the coming days, inmates will participate in skills workshops, sports tournaments, livelihood initiatives, and literacy sessions. Jail administrators will also formally roll out their “Freedom Program,” an initiative built around counseling, vocational training, and mending strained ties between inmates and their families.For her part, Senior Jail Officer 4 Dina Tumanda, warden of the female facility, pointed out that rehabilitation is an impossible errand if the outside world closes its doors.“Every rehabilitation milestone is a product of partnership,” Tumanda said. “The support of our stakeholders, partner agencies, educational institutions, and community organizations enables us to deliver responsive programs that foster hope, growth, and dignity among our PDLs.”NACOCOW is observed across the country every last week of October under the supervision of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. /cb