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MANILA, Philippines — Imprisonment did not prevent Tom, a 33-year-old San Juan City inmate, from fulfilling his responsibility as a parent and educating his child.
Tom teaches his five-year-old daughter via the “e-Dalaw” system which allows persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) to connect with their families online for 10 to 15 minutes.
“Hindi ko na sinayang ang pagkakataong ito upang maturuan ko ang aking anak sa pamamagitan ng ‘e-Dalaw.’ Ako na mismo nagtuturo sa anak ko habang ako’y nandito sa loob ng kulungan. Kahit papano, maturuan ko siya habang siya’y wala sa aking tabi,” Tom said in a video posted by Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) San Juan City on Nov. 3.
(I did not waste this chance to teach my daughter through e-Dalaw. I teach my daughter while I’m inside jail. Despite the situation, I’m able to teach her even when I’m not physically with her.)
Showing his illustrations of objects and the alphabet, Tom said he teaches his daughter with materials he himself made.
“Ang mga materials na ‘to, ako mismo gumawa nito. Dito rin nanggaling mismo sa loob ng kulungan tulad ng karton, lapis, krayola saka bond paper. Ako mismo sumulat nito at nag-drawing,” he said.
(I made these materials which all came from the prison like carton, pencil, crayons and bond paper. I, myself, wrote and drew these.)
Tom said his case is for violations of Sections 13 and 14 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
At the end of the video, Tom left this message to his daughter: “Mag-ingat ka palagi. Hayaan mo paglaya ko, gagawin ko ang lahat para sa iyo, para matupad mo ang mga pangarap mo.”
(Always take care. When I’m free, I will do everything for you so that you can make your dreams come true.)
BJMP launched the “e-Dalaw” program to allow PDLs to communicate with their relatives and lawyers as the pandemic forced people to adhere to physical distancing and stay-at-home protocols.