Tuesday, August 07, 2007 Cabaero: “Thriller” not for prisoners alone By Nini B. Cabaero Beyond 30
THE suggestion was not mine but from one of the visitors to the Sun.Star website who appreciated the video on the provincial prisoners’ performance and said others, maybe even cops, could do a “Thriller” too.
Cebu was placed on the YouTube map in a good way with the uploading of the video on the practice session of inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) or provincial jail. The original upload was made two weeks ago by Byron Garcia, the governor’s brother and consultant on security concerns. As of yesterday, the video was viewed 3.9 million times by people around the world. (Video clips of the final performance can be viewed at the Sun.Star website at www.sunstar.com.ph. Click on the text link from the home page to be brought to the video.)
There have been past videos on or from Cebu that got the fancy of YouTube habitués, like that funny political ad that showed one politician falling off a building, but this jail video brought Cebu fame in a positive way.
The dance to the Michael Jackson tune of “Thriller” was presented as part of the celebration of the Provincial Government’s 438th founding anniversary. Some 1,500 inmates dressed in orange prison garb brought color to the celebration. It was a highlight that had national and international media coverage.
Jail administrators have been lauded for such innovative way of instilling discipline among inmates and of keeping them preoccupied while they serve time. There was even a suggestion to recommend the jail for the next Gawad Galing Pook Award which celebrates Filipino ingenuity and excellence in local governance.
There was also the call to replicate this jail program in other prison facilities all over the country. “Thriller” zombies who could knock their head sideways would be exported to parts of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
The tune can be catchy and the novelty of the program makes it sexy material for international media. Even visitors to the Sun.Star website could not resist.
Babie Manson wrote in the website’s comments section, “Well done, Cebu. Well done. Congratulations especially to the local government. You deserve an award for this. Fantastic!”
A visitor who signed in as “Ebeth” in the US said: “I just saw the news tonight in the Kathy Corik show. (I’m here in Ohio.) They just said Philippines so I checked at the Sun.Star Cebu and it’s in there. And I think that’s better to keep them fit and not to think of something or rather than fight each other in jail. So keep them busy. Good idea. It’s cool?”
Ivan N. Ravago said: “It was a superb performance of the inmates who showed discipline, teamwork and camaraderie. Kudos!”
And a visitor who signed in as “Vivian” said: “May they continue what they started. However, how about policemen (doing the) dance too? What do you think?”
After the success of the jail presentation, the people’s expectation of what could come out of the CPDRC was raised a notch higher. It leads to anticipation of what the next show would be about. After “Thriller,” what’s next?
