Lantern Making, A PROFITABLE BIZ FOR CITY DETAINEES

DAYS before Christmas Day, people are getting busier buying decors and gifts to avoid hassle when the peak season hits.

At this time, inmates at the Davao City Jail in Ma-a are now prepping up for the lantern making tradition inside the jail facility.

According to Jail Inspector Edo Lobenia, BJMP-Davao chief community relations service officer, they are readying all materials for the making of lanterns for the inmates who are already accustomed to making hand-made lanterns every year as part of their livelihood training.

The inmates will provide the lanterns to be displayed all over the city as well as for the Pasko Fiesta 2017. It provides an avenue for the detainees to show off their creative side and become productive while serving their sentence.

“As of now they are already making the necessary preparations for the materials through the help of the BJMP IWD Officers. And they are about to make parols for the city government also,” Lobenia said.

He said male detainees are targeting to make 200 for the city government alone and there are also private entities and prospective buyers who are ordering from them now.

Lobenia added that there are inmates who have already knowledge and skills in making lanterns and shared it with their fellow detainees.

“There are inmates na skilled dyan na gumagawa na before pa sila makulong. Sila na din yung nagtuturo sa kapwa nila inmates to have an income,” he said.

The jail will provide all the materials while the inmates will render their labor. For each lantern, they will earn P200. The lanterns will be marketed by the jail officers.

Last week, he added that the lantern making activity has already begun and a total of 30 inmates are involved for this project.