Gotta Pay it Forward
Life has been really tough on me for the past few months. This is what I consider the toughest phase of my life.
I had to deal with people from all walks of life, some interesting, some are very nice, some are hard to understand.
I went through a lot of things and situation I never thought I could handle.
But what I thought to be the hardest thing I have to deal with when it comes to being confined in a detention facility; surprisingly, has never been my problem.
I’ve been a resident here at Marikina City Jail Female Dormitory for almost 6 months now.
When I got here I was very anxious about not having enough room for personal growth and opportunities to maximize my skills.
I used to tell myself “Kakalawangin ako dito!”.
As a keen observer, I noticed that the place I am in is far different from how bad I pictured a jail could be. I never thought that there’s a detention facility as conducive and as productive as MCJFD.
I really have to commend C/INSP Margie Monsalud for being pro-active on offering and seeking programs that are very helpful for the detainees' mental health.
When they announced that the Marikina Shoe Industry Development Office (MASIDO) team will be conducting a 10-day training for shoe making skills, I knew I shouldn’t miss it for the world.
And I was right, the very moment Mr. Noel Box and Dra. Clarissa stood in front showing how passionate they are about the development of the shoe industry, it hit me right there and then.
Their love and passion for the Shoe Industry was very contagious I initially fell in love with it.
They were also very ecstatic about helping us detainees, to pick up pieces and be able to live a productive life inside and even outside the facility.
I looked forward every training sessions and tried my best to pick up every bits of knowledge I could get from each and every module.
I just can’t put into words how accomplished we all felt when we finally got to make our first pairs of sandals.
The MASIDO team made me dream of designing and manufacturing pairs of stilettos that could be worn by Beyonce.
More than that, MASIDO taught me how to pay it forward. Mr. Noel Box and Dra. Clarissa Badong showed their gratitude for their successful lives not just by giving back to the people behind their success but also by paying it forward giving opportunities and hopes to other people, like us detainees, to acquire the same success in the future.
MASIDO team’s good deeds gave me the initiative to use the knowledge and skills that God has blessed me to help out the community or my co-detainees by means of engaging myself on activities that will help each of the residents’ personal growth, shares my ideas to make it a common goal for every resident of MCJFD to be a better individual, to show the society that jail confinement has helped us rebuild ourselves to be worthy of second chances.
I could go on and on how much MASIDO team and C/INSP Margie Monsalud have done for all of us.
I am just so grateful, we are just so grateful! I got to pay it forward.
Hopia is one of the beneficiaries of this footwear skills training & an inmate of the Marikina BJMP female dorm.