Breaking free from chains: A redeemed life in prison

“Para akong hinahabol ng sampung demonyo.” From that moment, he knew horror had devoured his soul.

A story loaded with violence, prohibited substances, and blood turned to the right wheel of fate when this person’s life was renewed inside the walls of confinement. This story revolves around the life of a 47-year-old person deprived of liberty (PDL) hidden under the name of “Agusto” and his newly redeemed life in prison.

It was in 2003 when tragedy started to scar his life forever. He attended a party with his friends while also under the influence of a prohibited substance. When they were about to go home, Agusto and his friends spotted a vast number of enemies waiting for them to cross the area. When things started to go awry, Agusto inadvertently stabbed a young man using a butterfly knife (balisong). The weapon was not his, but since he was under the influence of drugs, he mistakenly brought it with him to the party. When the victim passed out, his older brother came to attack Agusto, but to his defense, he also accidentally stabbed the older brother twice. The young man survived, but the older brother unfortunately died. When that incident happened, Agusto knew he had to run as far as he could. “Doon ko naranasan ‘yung para akong hinahabol ng sampung demonyo.” It was then the turning point for him to hide forever.

Now, he is facing the punishment for two cases: frustrated homicide for 4-10 years and homicide for 8-14 years. The incident happened in 2003 but he is only in his seventh year in prison, as perplexing as it may sound, that is because he has been in hiding for nine years from the family of a man he killed in a barangay, while police have been searching for him for nearly a decade.

He considered himself like a kingpin of Tondo before; no one could touch or argue with him. It was even his dream to kill a man. But things have changed since the incident. For a decade, he never stepped outside his door; he could never pick up his youngest daughter from school. He could never visit his three children from his first wife. Even if he is a free man outside, it still felt suffocating for him because of all the things that a free man could do, Agusto can’t do a single thing. That was also when he decided to surrender. As miraculous as it could be, he prayed to God that He would allow him to surrender one day. And so it did. He was caught in 2014 after hiding for nine years.

Before being sentenced to a minimum of 12 years inside the Medium Security Camp

by Anonymous PDL in UPHSD-BES

by Erica Mae Tamparong

in Muntinlupa City, Philippines, he found himself a job as a marshall for two years in the Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC), known as the juvenile correctional center. He knew from then that he wanted to throw away his old life and start anew, that even when he entered the prison, he instantly broke free from his gang group inside. Agusto knew that con necting to gang groups inside would bring back the chains on his neck, and it would only develop negative effects on him. That is when he decid ed to continue his education, finally entering the Bilibid Extension School of the Uni versity of Perpetual Help Sys tem DALTA. On this path, he found the light toward change. He became an achiever, earn ing vocational degrees in do mestic, refrigeration, air con ditioning, electronics, welding, and grafting. He also achieved the award for best in comput er and math. He even won as champion in the Spoken Po etry competition last 2022. Excerpt from his poem ti tled “Ang Pag-Ibig ng Diyos”

Aking nabakas sa aking nakalipas

Ang mga kamalian at nagawang kasalanan Na naging dahilan ng kinasadlakan Pagkat walang kinatatakutan, maging kamatayan man… Bagamat ganito man ang aking kalagayan Ay wala naman akong pinagsisisihan Sapagkat sa bilibid aking natagpuan

Ang dakilang pag-ibig ng Diyos na may lalang

Scars are to stay forever, but for Agusto, God will always be everyone’s savior. “Pagtanggap ang nanaig kaysa pagsisisi, kasi ‘yung pagsisisi hindi masusukat, alam kong dapat mangyari ‘to dahil makasalanan ako.” De- come true for Agusto because all his chances to study outside were taken for granted due to a dark path he took along the way. But now, having the opportunity to study inside, changed his life forever. “Salamat merong kagaya ng Perpetual na binibigyan halaga ‘yung katulad namin, marami silang nababago, at nagpapasalamat ako sa