‘Cebu dancing inmates a tourist attraction’

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. lauded the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) dancing inmates saying it is  one of the unique tourist attractions in the world.

Jimenez, who visited the jail facility yesterday morning, witnessed a live performance of the world-renowned dancing inmates.

In his message after the performances of the inmates, he said the dancing inmates is something that the country could be proud of to tourists.

“Dapat malaman ninyo, nagsalita ako sa isang party para sa mga turista, pinangako ko sa kanila na ang pinaka-importanteng tourist offering ng Pilipinas ay ang Pilipino din (You have to know that I spoke to a group of tourists and promised them that the most important tourist offering that the Philippines could give is the Filipino),” Jimenez said.

“At kayo (inmates) ay isang primary example ng offering na iyon (And you, inmates, is an example of that offering),” he added.

In an interview, Jimenez said the dancing inmates showed how the Filipinos value rehabilitation more than punishment.

He said such value is unique to the Filipinos so tourists are delighted when they see this trait among Filipinos.

“Di nila akalain that our values extend even to the detention center (They never thought that our values extend to the detention center),” he told reporters.

“I hope that these are values that we will carry with the rest of the country. Like I said, I mean it when I say that this is probably one of the most incredible tourist sites on earth. I hope the world learns more about it,” he added.

Jimenez was welcomed by acting Gov. Agnes Magpale during his visit at the jail facility.

The inmates performed dances such as J. Lo’s “On the Floor,” 2NE1’s “Fire” and other favorites like “Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot.”

For their finale, they performed Michael Jackson’s “This Is It,” which was choreographed by the King of Pop’s choreographer Travis Payne last year.

Also present during the performance were Undersecretary Ma. Victoria Jasmin on the Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation; Regional Tourism Director Rowena Montecillo; delegates of the 1st Asian Underwater Federation Photography Championships; and a team  from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In 2007, the CPDR inmates performed the zombie dance featured in the music video of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” The footage was uploaded onto video-sharing website YouTube and became a viral.

Time magazine cited the video as  one of the top 10 videos of 2007.

The idea behind the dance came from the prison’s chief, Byron F. Garcia.

Garcia first proposed the idea of dancing as an enjoyable way of keeping the prisoners mentally and physically fit. /Carmel Loise Matus, Correspondent