kababaihan-at-kapayapaan-issue-3

Reaping the rewardsBonto sees to it that she shows respectfor the inmates’ culture and beliefs.“In order for me to be understood, Ineed to understand their religion first.Even with the way I dress, especiallywhen I teach. I try to learn the thingsthat I think are important to them.”“Aside from myfamily, my teachersare my heroes.”With ALS, the inmates are introducedto different perspectives they weren’taware of before. One inmate, Najer(not his real name), who has been inSICA-1 for 13 years, shares: “Ngayon,kahit paano, natututo kami unti-untitungkol sa buhay. Dahil sa ALS, mayroonkaming nalalaman na impormasyon,mga kaugalian na di namin alam dati.Nasasabi sa amin iyong mga nangyayarisa gobyerno at sa labas kahit nanditokami.” (Somehow we are learning littleby little about life. Because of ALS,we now have access to information,things we didn’t know about before.We are informed about what’shappening in government and outsideeven if we are here.)The hard work and commitment paidoff when 12 of the first ALS learnerswere able to pass the Elementaryand High School EquivalencyExams in April 2014. To celebratetheir achievement, SICA-1 held agraduation ceremony attended by therelatives of the graduating class.Warden Bonto made sure that theinmates would experience theambiance of a proper graduation.“DepEd lent us togas. The goodUndersecretary Serapio donated shoesfor the inmates. I went to Marikina tobuy the shoes using paper cutouts oftheir feet.”Aside from the small victory, somegood things have happened to keepher motivated. Before he was releasedfrom detention, Amer (not his realname), one of the first ALS graduateswho was acquitted of the chargesagainst him, informed her that acollege was already waiting for him toenroll in the coming school year.Having a supportive family also keepsMichelle grounded. It helps that herhusband, who is also an officer atBJMP, understands that Michelle putsher heart in everything she does.While being a warden may seem likea 24/7 duty, Michelle is able to retreatto a home made cozy by the music ofher children.“I am the mother of two potentiallygifted kids. Imagine the challenge weface as husband and wife on how tokeep our two children focused, withtheir intellect, curiosity, restlessness,and energy. Our home is adorned withtheir oil paintings on canvass and themusic that fills our house is from theirsinging, piano and drum playing.”Michelle Bonto doesn’t know whereshe gets all the energy to jugglebeing a wife and mother, teacherand warden. “I’m able to do all thosethings maybe because I love what I’mdoing,” she smiles.Increasing numbers, growingneedsAs evidence of the success of the firstALS in SICA-1, the number of enrolleesfor the second batch of studentshas increased. Today, SICA-1 has 13learners for elementary, and 31 forhigh school.Ruy (not his real name), whopassed the High School EquivalencyExam, said “Marami kaming natutuhan.Lalo iyong mga bagay na hindi naminnapag-aralan sa labas kagaya ng publicspeaking. Mayroon din kaming alamkaunti tungkol sa batas.” (We havelearned a lot, especially about thingsthat we did not learn when we wereoutside like public speaking. Wenow also know a little bit about thelaw.)While evidently a measure of theprogram’s success, the increase inthe number of learners has raisedthe demand for the modules andincreased expenses. Initially, Bontoshouldered the reproduction of themodules. But as the need has grown,she has sought the help of goodsamaritans. In 2014, she was able toraise funds for the reproduction of 30sets each of the ALS A&E modules forelementary and high school.The initial help was enough tocover the needs of the currentlearners. However, there will befuture enrollees whose educationwill have to be funded. And Michellehas bigger dreams for her wards.While she acknowledges thelimitations, she wants to provideaccess to college education for thedetainees who have passed thesecondary level.Beyond SICA-1, she also dreamsof providing former inmates withan aftercare program, “Beyondwardenship, I would like to be a partof an organization or program thatwill help cater to the needs ofreleased inmates and their familiesduring the transition phase as theyintegrate into mainstream society.”An impossible dream? Sr. Insp.Michelle Bonto relies on her faiththat God will provide.March 2015KABABAIHANatKAPAYAPAAN31