Zamboanga inmates benefit from BJMP livelihood skills

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Two former inmates from Davao City have visited Zamboanga City recently and introduced to prisoners the twine bagmaking livelihood project of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

Gina Talingting and Joan Quinones pursued their livelihood through twine bag-making outside the jail facility.

The duo said as former inmates at the Davao City Jail, they wanted to share the skills and the passion of twine bag-making to the inmates of Zamboanga City Jail – under Chief Inspector Ervin Diaz – to sustain the needs of the inmates and also as an extra income and livelihood for them.

“Mahirap sa loob ng jail lalo na kapag walang mapagkukunan ng pera para pambili ng gamit gaya ng sabon at iba pang personal na gamit, buti na lang nakahiligan ko at pinursige ang paggawa ng bag na yari sa straw,” Talingting said. “Gusto naming ibahagi ang natutunan naming sa mga inmates ng Zamboanga dahil alam naming kung gaano kahirap sa loob.”

She said twine bags are basically made from strings straw of different colors. “The concept of twine bag-making, the basic is like of that crocheting, unlike with the twine bags the material used is straw while in the latter is yarn,” Talingting said.

Diaz said the bag project aims to provide skills and livelihood for inmates. He said aside from twine bags, straw hats and wallets are also available and now on sale. He said retailers can buy or place their orders at the Zamboanga City Jail or buy them at MGM Merchandize – the sole distributor of the twine bags – located at Sucabon in Zamboanga City.

Both Talingting and Quinones are expected to return to Zamboanga City next month for another livelihood project for the inmates, according to Grace Lim, BJMP’S liaison officer. “They will come back again to Zamboanga in November 15 and introduce another livelihood project, coin bank-making, for our inmates,” she said.