MANILA, Philippines?Thursdays are special at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.

Every week on this day, a 15-member group composed of men and women in their 50s and 60s bring food and solace to sick inmates at the national penitentiary.

Calling themselves the ?Thursday Group,? their activities include cooking lunch for some 550 to 600 orange-clad inmates in the hospital wards, giving the weakest patients a sponge bath and reading to them from the Bible.

?We massage their aching bodies and console them with God?s divine mercy,? says Bobbie de Vela, one of the stalwarts of the group.

July 8, a Thursday, was extra special. It was the day before Bobbie?s birthday and since she loves to eat, she decided to celebrate by bringing cauldrons of caldereta to Bilibid and sharing the homemade fare with the inmates confined to the wards.

Twenty pastoral security guides, the official greeters at Bilibid, welcomed the Thursday Group members, who wore beige and purple shirts emblazoned with the words ?Thursday Group? over their right chest.

They met up with their counterpart, the Thursday Group inmates, made up of 63 prisoners, who wore blue shirts also emblazoned with the words ?Thursday Group.? The atmosphere turned festive as they eagerly showed Bobbie and her group their craft projects.

There are over 21,000 inmates at the NBP as of December 2009, according to the Bureau of Corrections website.

Bobbie has chosen to work with 550 to 600 inmates confined in 10 hospital wards, one of them an intensive care unit (ICU).

?I personally work with much urgency because the mortality rate [in the wards] is so high. One time, 300 sick inmates died within six months. Replacements come quickly. Because of the scarcity of funds, there are no medicines, no equipment. Before, I thought feeding their stomachs was important. I thought they should at least taste good food before they die. Later it dawned on me that their hearts and souls also needed tending to,? she says.

Whenever possible, their Thursday visits begin with a Mass. It is said that Mass at Bilibid is better than anywhere else because of the singular experience of witnessing the prisoners deep in prayer and fervent in song as if they?re trying to pull down the heavens for comfort and forgiveness.

?Afterwards, we form a line, recite the rosary while the sick inmates receive Holy Communion. Then we prepare the best lunch possible. We cook 50 kilos of meat, 70 kilos of vegetables and 60 kilos of rice. We provide oatmeal and milk three times a week for the weakest patients. If we had more funds, we would be able to feed inmates in the ICU who have a special diet,? she continues.

First warden

Bobbie?s grandfather is the late Eriberto B. Misa Sr., the first warden of the NBP from 1936-1949. An uncle, Eriberto Misa Jr., was a former director of the Bureau of Corrections from 1991-1993.

These two men, according to Fr. James Reuter S.J., who was quoted in the book, ?Double Life Sentence, an autobiography of Eriberto Misa Jr.,? held their positions with honor, administered wisdom and raised the civil service to a high level of respectability.

Misa Sr., who had a reputation as a fearless and honest Constabulary officer, sought to humanize the conditions of convicted criminals. He had previously served as warden of the Iwahig Penal Colony in Palawan.

?They say he made prison life more bearable,? Bobbie says of her grandfather. ?He must have done something good because as soon as you enter the NBP, you see the bust of my lolo carved from stone.?

Although Misa Sr. was born on July 7, 1889 in Bolinao, Pangasinan, Bobbie says her grandfather always celebrated his birthday on July 9, which happens to be her birthday.

Although she never met her grandfather, she grew up listening to her father, Gonzalo Misa, tell stories about lolo. He was a strict and honorable man, her father would say.

Thursday habit

It was through her mother, the late Bella Burgos-Misa, that Bobbie got into the Thursday habit.

?My vocation for the sick and dying inmates started with Nenita Rivera, a friend of my mother?s who started this prison ministry but was unable to continue for lack of funds. I heeded the call,? Bobbie says.

They started with five people?Nenita, Bobbie, her best friend Tess Mariano, Lorna Hernan and Mary. They fed the inmates in the hospital ward every Thursday for two-and-a-half years with funds from a small inheritance left by her mother. When her husband, Noel de Vela, an airline pilot, found out, he suggested that she try raising funds.

?My dear neighbors Chito and May de Vera gave us a P50,000 check donation. We now have 15 members and three faithful patrons who give us half of what we need for our monthly feeding. The rest of the money, the Thursday Group earns from Christmas caroling. Our voices are not that great but we get by. Sometimes our neighbors in Parañaque would just give us money to spare them from hearing us sing!? Bobbie says with a laugh.

Birthday celebration

On her birthday in July, Mass was celebrated by Fr. Tito Rañola, who was assisted by Deacon Leandro Centenera, who was visiting from Albuquerque, USA.

The enthusiastic singing of the Muntinlupa choir that was accompanied by guitar and bandurria touched Leandro, who came with his wife, Tess. He read the gospel in Filipino and with the help of two lay ministers, both inmates, also distributed Communion.

As both prisoners and visitors lined up to receive the sacred host, one could not help but reflect: Who has committed the greater sin? The person, who because of poverty, hunger or desperation stole and got caught? Or the person, who stole from government, cheated on his wife and lied to his neighbor, yet remains free and untouched in society?

After Mass, the Thursday Group inmates helped the patients too weak to care for themselves. They gave them a sponge bath or a shave. They cut their nails. They read to them.

Bobbie says the saddest part of the hospital wards is the ICU.

Because of inadequate funds, it is not a proper ICU?it does not have air-conditioning, equipment or medicines. It is not even sterile. The ICU at the NBP serves like a predeparture lounge where the seriously ill are isolated so they could suffer in privacy, waiting for death to come.

That Thursday, an elderly man was crying because of unbearable stomach pains. There was nothing to relieve it. Bobbie tried to comfort him with a few words and a smile; he quieted down and seemed to get some relief.

She and the other members helped prepare this man and other patients for the Sacrament of the Holy Oil. Fr. Tito made the sign of the cross on the sick patients? foreheads, hands and legs, and prayed for their recovery or happy transition.

Lunch is served

Finally, the Thursday Group members brought out the huge cauldrons of caldereta and distributed the food into smaller casseroles for all the ailing inmates to partake of, except the patients in the ICU as they had strict diets to follow.

The morning ended quickly. The members headed back to Merville, Parañaque, where they had a sumptuous lunch prepared by the birthday celebrant at Marabella Cafe in Riviera Park.

Bobbie says what little money she earns from the cafe is immediately spent on the patients in ICU.

Over dessert, they discussed how the day went, the problems at Bilibid, and what else they could do for the inmates. They came up with a long-term goal?to build a proper ICU with sterile conditions, air-conditioning, equipment and regular visits from medical practitioners. There was also a general need for hospital linen, gowns, towels, bandages and medicines.

August 26 was another cause for celebration. The Thursday Group observed its seventh anniversary inside Bilibid.

?I baked a seven-layer, chocolate-orange pound cake for the inmates,? Bobbie told Inquirer. ?It was a very tall and beautiful cake. Next year, I am looking forward to baking an eight-layer cake.?

(If you wish to donate food or join the activities of the Thursday Group, please contact Bobbie at bobbiedevela@yahoo.com.)