Passion for Prisoners: Weaving Opportunities Through Likhang Malaya
When most of the scenarios inside a jail are usually prisoners putting up different fights against each other, it’s a whole different case inside the walls of the Quezon District Jail in the city of Lucena. Inmates here are trained to weave eco-friendly baskets to be sold outside through an organization called Likhang Malaya.
Likhang Malaya is a DTI-registered social enterprise founded and managed by Monreal, Lanorio, Carleen Aguila and Carmen Alpurerto. Their main aim is to provide a stable and regular job for inmate weavers of QDJ, Lucena City.
It is also the exclusive maker of Monreal Eco-Baskets which are made of recycled plastic bottles that were hand woven by the inmates and former detainees of QDJ two years ago.
Two of their Likha partners are both ex-convicts of QDJ. Alejandro Monreal and Marlon Lanorio, both 42 years old, proved that they can set back their life to normal and even open new opportunities after being in jail.
According to Carleen Aguila in a post from Likhang Malaya Enterprise, these two went back to QDJ where they were formerly detained to train the detainees themselves who want to be basket makers.
These inmates were all trained well because they provide the best of best quality for their recycled baskets. It was proven when winning for two consecutive times as the Best Livelihood product made by inmates in the whole CALABRAZON Region for the 2016 and 2017 Trade Fairs.
They display their products in the entrance of Quezon Convention Center with prices that range from 135.00php for XS to 620.00php for the laundry basket with cover.
People form Likhang Malaya Enterprise do not only aim to open opportunities for the inmates of Lucena City, they also help the prisoners to mold their passion of learning new things and believing that being stuck inside the jail does not also mean that they are stucked with nothing.
“Sa ngayon, medyo lie-low kami kasing naging busy kami on our personal commitments particularly sa jobs but we hope to be back soon,” explained Carleen, one of the founders of the enterprise.
She also believes that the passion they instilled among inmates is still there and is still helping them.
“We saw the change among the prisoners we worked with and we are holding on to that because surely, the hope we have shown to them haver and would pushed them to be more inside the walls of prison,” Carleen concluded.
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