Female inmates feed Batang Pinoy delegates ‘locked down’ by ‘Ompong’

September 25, 2018 Community Billboard

BAGUIO CITY – Being behind bars did not prevent the inmates at the Baguio City Jail Female Dorm (BCJFD) from helping others during the onslaught of Typhoon ‘Ompong’ (Mangkhut) here.
BCJFD warden Senior Insp. April Rose Ayangwa said they learned of Mayor Mauricio Domogan’s post on social media, asking for assistance to give food to over 1,000 ‘Batang Pinoy’ delegates from Visayas and Mindanao, who were ‘locked down’ in the city because of ‘Ompong’.
The delegates were already in the city when the typhoon hit the country, supposedly in time for the opening program of the youth sports event here on September 15.
“Nakita ng personnel yung post ni mayor. Nung pinag-uusapan nila, narinig ng residents kaya nag-usap-usap sila,” Ayangwa said, noting that the city’s chief information officer, Aileen Refuerzo, was the first to announce the mayor’s call at the late-afternoon ‘City Hall Hour’.
Through their coordinators, the female inmates suggested to the warden that they would cook rice cake (puto), which they always make as a livelihood for the inmates.
The inmates used the remaining ‘female fund’ of P3,000 and the P3,500 contribution from the personnel of the BCJFD for their plan.
Ayangwa said some 1,000 pieces of rice cake and 1,000 chocolate mallows were cooked by the inmates, also called ‘persons deprived of liberty’.
Through the mayor’s office, the rice cake and the chocolate mallows were distributed to the delegates, who were then billeted in five schools – Josefa Cariño Elementary School, Baguio Central School, Mabini Elementary School, SPED Center, and Quezon Elementary School.
The city government, which hosted the 2018 Batang Pinoy, wanted to make sure the delegates would have food while ‘locked down’ because of the typhoon.
Ryan Mangusan, executive assistant to the mayor, said the caterers, who were supposed to provide food for the delegates, failed to deliver because of the strong typhoon.
“There were no food establishments open at that time, so we contacted two food chains to prepare lunch and dinner for over 1,000 delegates,” he said.
With the help of the General Services Office (GSO) of the city government, the food prepared by the inmates were delivered to the five schools.
“They (delegates) did not expect the city to extend the assistance. But as a host, it was the responsibility of the city to take care of the delegates who are mostly minors,” Mangusan said.
Baguio and Benguet province co-hosted the 2018 Batang Pinoy from September 15 to 21.
As early as September 12, delegates started arriving in Baguio for the competition. Luckily, no Batang Pinoy delegate was injured by ‘Ompong’. LIZA AGOOT, PNA