IT WAS a typical Friday afternoon at the Davao City Pasalubong Center along Palma Gil St. There were a lot of tourists inquiring and buying souvenir items from the different stalls inside the Pasalubong Center.
Gina Talingting, one of the stall owners was busy counting the change for a customer who bought small pouches that afternoon.
Upon entering the Pasalubong Center, Gina’s stall is the one immediately to the right filled with woven bags, pouches, Davao souvenir T-shirts, ref magnets, keychains, and so much more.
Unlike the other stalls there in the Pasalubong Center, Gina has a different story; her bags and products each has a story to tell, as well.
Gina Talingting was a prisoner of the Davao City Jail in Ma-a, Davao City for more than 12 years because of drug possession. An average of 80 percent of the women incarcerated at the Davao City Jail are there for drugs. Many are getting a new lease and opportunities in life after their stay in jail, just like Gina.
In her life as a prisoner, she and other women inmates were taught different livelihood activities such as dressmaking, massage, hair dressing, and bag weaving by representatives of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and the city’s Integrated Gender and Development Division (IGDD). The only background Gina had of similar activities was of a crochet class in high school. All her other skills she learned inside the jail.
“I had been there inside and I know how important it is for the women inside to learn and earn out of these livelihood activities. I know how difficult it is inside. Even though already inside the jail, these women still provide for the education of their children and other financial needs of their family. It is not a burden. We actually feel good about it because it means we still have a purpose for our family outside,” Gina shared in vernacular.
She also added how they do not call address themselves as “inmates” but rather as “bakasyonistas” knowing within them that their stay inside the jail is transient and temporary - that sooner or later they are going to go out again into the world.
As Gina and her fellow bakasyonistas continue perfecting their woven bags, they were already able to supply bags to Echostore along Diversion Road, Davao City, Human Nature stall in SM City Davao, and Rustan’s in Manila. This is made possible by connections established through Gawad Kalinga, an organization that helped the bakasyonistas with their livelihood programs as well as providing them with dorm-style houses inside the jail.
The Gawad Kalinga and the women of Davao City Jail had maintained a good relationship which greatly affected the livelihood of the women. The bags are made of softer tie box twines weaved together to create according to designs and styles that the ordering client wishes. Aside from Gawad Kalinga, lot of non-government organization and social enterprises had already partnered with the bakasyonistas to provide them with orders to sustain their livelihood.
These social enterprises include Humabi, Tali, Human Nature Davao, Echostore, and the most-recent the Likhang Laya. When Gina was finally freed on June 1, 2016, she immediately started weaving bags in small quantity and had it displayed at the salon owned by her offspring. She also continues to supply in Human Nature, Echostore, and Rustan’s. This is together with three other bakasyonistas who have also been freed.
Despite of all this, she never forgets her fellow bakasyonistas and friends who are still inside the jail. Two weeks after being granted her freedom, Gina visited her friends who had by then been very depressed and sad because they missed her.
“I really told them I will not forget them. Until now, I still go back there and relay orders which they complete. I have it displayed here in the Pasalubong Center or have it delivered to our clients,” Gina said.
Likhang Laya, the most recent social enterprises founded to help these bakasyonistas was started by couple Richard Villanueva and Monique Villanueva with their three kids studying in Manila. Richard Villanueva, himself, used to work for Gawad Kalinga for several years and have seen how these bakasyonistas would need help by being provided with constant orders from different clients to make their business sustainable.
“Social enterprise for us comes in two ways: you still have to make profit or it should be profitable while at the same time people should be better off with your business around. It is really partnering with the community,” Richard said.
As Gina continued to build on connections in a bid to help the bakasyonistas, she has been invited by Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Zamboanga City, Mandaluyong City, and Digos City to also train the women there on bag weaving. On March 13, 2017, she was one of the awardees of the Pasidungog Garbo sa Dabaw, being an exemplary and compassionate Dabawenya.
Because of this, she was awarded the stall in Pasalubong Center for free where she had also adopted other former bakasyonistas. Her key chains, ref magnets, wooden alkansya, and printed Davao t-shirts are all made by former and current bakasyonistas as well.
“I think this is very important for them - to have their hopes and dreams uplifted. I will really always come back for them to continue to give them hope and inspiration to continue on,” Gina said.