CPDRC inmates flaunt boxing skills inside jail
The Cebu Provincial Rehabilitation and Detention Center gained worldwide acclaim for its dancing inmates.
It might as well produce another set of world-class talents in the future, this time in a sport that is close to the hearts of the Filipinos – boxing.
In a landmark event in Cebu sports, inmates were given a rare opportunity to showcase their fistic skills right inside the maximum security prison that served as a sidelight to the professional fight card copresented by Rex ‘Wakee’ Salud Promotions International and Thai boxing patron Naris Singwangcha the other night at CPRDC in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City.
Billed as the ‘Champions of the Future’, the slambang spectacle witnessed by a 3,000-plus crowd somehow offered an intangible sideshow that there’s more to life for the prisoners other than wallowing in despair for the crimes they allegedly committed, ranging from murder, rape and drugrelated charges.
Jail management consultant Marco O. Toral, the main behind the noble undertaking, said they hatched their boxing program two years ago as part of CPDRC’s Inmate Welfare Development Program, with the hope of giving the inmates a sense of hope as much as helping them reach their goals to become champions someday.
“We organized this boxing event as part of their (inmates) rehabilitation program and physical training,” said Toral. “Of course we hope to produce a champion in the future. It may be a farfetched idea, but who knows it will happen.”
“The important thing really is that we give our inmates a sense of hope, that they will not lose hope despite the kind of situation they are in right now,” he added.
From the 48 aspirants who wanted to be part of their training pool under of guidance of Robert Marayan, an inmate who is a former amateur pugilist, Toral said only 26 are physically fit to qualify. They then picked four of them who are potential enough to represent the CPDRC Supermax Boxing Team in the groundbreaking slugfest.
Aside from Marayan, a super featherweight who is on trial for rape charges, George Salugaol, Marvin Narte and Jimmy Berian became superstars before the eyes of their fellow inmates as they fearlessly engaged themselves in an actionpacked, bell-to-bell fights against separate rivals from the Phil-Australia Boxing Club based in Mandaue City.
“I’m happy to be given this chance to share what I learned when I was outside to my fellow inmates inside the city jail who like me loves to box,” said the 29year-old Marayan, who punched his way to an easy unanimous decision victory over Marjon Sabinorio after their three-round, twominute per round match following amateur rules.
The most impressive of them was Narte, 22, who displayed superb fighting skills in his methodical beating of the hapless Dove Espina in their super flyweight duel.
“My experience here inside (the jail) is lifechanging. I’m truly happy that there is a boxing here because I did not only enjoy it, it also teaches me how to be patient and calm,” said the Camotesnative Narte, who is behind bars for nearly three years now on murder charges. “If ever if get out of jail someday, I will still pursue my dreams to become a boxing champ.”
Though Narte and Marayan showed some class, it was the 34-year-old Salugaol, jailed for illegal drugs, who scored the shortest bout of the evening, needing only 49 seconds to finish off the much younger Jonax Berden in their super bantamweight encounter.
It was not all jubilation though for the fighting inmates as Berain lost by split decision to Luid Bartolome in their super flyweight bout.
Still Berain, serving jail term for frustrated murder, considers it a chance of a lifetime. “People look at us prisoners as bad guys but somehow it makes us feel good knowing that we will come out of news because of boxing,” said the 29year-old Berain.
When the show ended a little past 11 p.m., the entertained inmates stayed in the quadrangle for a while, as if wanting for more action that at least brought laughter to their faces and joy to their hearts even just for a night.