Category: In bars
FEMALE PRISON DETAINEE HIERARCHY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Hello! Sorry if I neglected this blog a bit. As you may have known, I recently joined Pinoy Big Brother and generally got busy! But now I have some time to explain the inside hierarchy of the jail system, so sit up and read on!
CREDITS: Photo from the PCJ E-Dalaw FB account.
CLEANERS
Cleaners are newly committed detainees, or in other words the ones imprisoned just recently. Usually, it takes 6 months to a year before you get upgraded to a better position from this one. Being a cleaner is very tiring – you’re basically doing dirty work. When you enter jail, you have 2 weeks of doing chores on your own without help. After 2 weeks you can finally hire people to do your job, but since the majority cannot afford to hire people to do it they end up cleaning on their own. You’ll have to wake up at 5 am to clean the cell. You’ll be cleaning the entire day. Everyone’s divided into cleaning the toilets, the hallway, the events area and all the public-facing areas of the jail. Sadly, because they’re new they get somewhat pushed to exert more effort. They usually have the most indecent areas for sleeping. In the old facility, cleaners slept near the bathroom, so when the water overflows they would get very wet. It’s sad really. In the new facility they sleep on the 1st floor of the beds. I can just imagine the other old jails with poor, less maintained facilities where they’d be having a harder time.
RANCHERA
This is food service, but not food prep. Rancheras do not cook but are the ones responsible for dividing the food amongst the 50 to 80 people that are inside the cell. Food must be equally distributed so if suddenly the amount of food is inadequate, then they’ll have to get all the food called back. Normally detainees line their cannisters up to be filled up. When you’re friends with a ranchera, there’s a big chance you can ask her for a little more. I noticed that her friends always get more rice and ulam while the rest are eating a lot less. It’s their DISKARTE being in that position. But if someone calls them out then they can be fired from this duty eventually.
NIGHT DUTY
This is the first entry to a leader position. It’s basically an overnight job, and is honestly a difficult one. One person heads the entire cell from 7pm to 7am. By 7pm the cell is extremely noisy and rowdy. She’ll have to make everyone settle down and keep quiet. Everyone watches teleserye, however if people are very noisy then nobody’s allowed to watch. In my cell, the night duty mutes the TV so that people will keep quiet. But when the volume is up again then everyone makes noise too. It’s a daily struggle that detainees just don’t get. Eventually by 9pm it gets quiet and the cell is at peace. The night duty has a box of instant food like junk food and noodles, coffee sachets and other stuff she sells. She can’t fall asleep or else in the morning she’ll have to pay for the lost items. Also she would have to watch over everyone, mostly just to ensure that everything and everyone is in order. She has to fill out a logbook with all the things people do during the night. She must be vigilant and ensure that people are safe and alive, in other words not trying to kill themselves or escape, since some people die because of “bangungut.” Night duty staff have to manage the water too while competing with other cells. So by the time everyone in her cell wakes up she must have water for all the detainees in her care or people will not get to take a bath at all. If you take this job, it’s 50php per night, which is really not a lot but it’s still money.
EXPEDITOR
This is a very tiring and demanding job. Called Expi for short, she has to take care of the entire schedule of all the detainees, meaning she has to fill out a 7am to 7pm work frame. She has to list all the people who will be attending all the events for the day. Normally in a jail there are many unexpected events. Jail officers seem to just rattle prisoners by calling out instant events on the spot and expect everyone to be ready as soon as they announce it. So if the officer on duty needs 30 people for a certain event, the expediter must come up with 30 people who must dress up immediately and go to the recreation area orderly without delay. If someone is late or the total is less than the number they asked for then the expeditor can be reprimanded. Another thing about the expi is that she also buys all the food from the coop for everyone. Imagine providing food for 50-80 hungry people all by yourself? Normally there’s a time for ordering food but many people suddenly ask them to get food in the off hours which is a hassle for the expi. I feel bad for people in this position because they get scolded a lot by officers. Most of the time they try to please everyone but it gets them in trouble. They have so much responsibilities that sometimes they need a substitute when they step out of the cell to answer to jail officers. Someone else will take their job as they leave. What’s more, even while they are tired they get extremely punished for an offense of their cellmate. They have the power to punish the people they govern on that daw. They can make people face the wall, squat or suggest to the coordinator to punish erring people as cleaners.
RECORDER
This is the second-in-command position, and is like the vice president of the cell. Each month, the jail officers ask for the records of all the detainees in the cells – age ranges, cases and the number of years a detainee has been committed to the facility. Honestly, it’s totally tiring! Plus, I’m really weirded out by this because everything’s digital already AND the officers already have these in their records as someone is committed into a facility, but the officers still insist doing things the old-school way. Imagine having to re-write all this constantly since detainees are only allowed to use paper and pen – meaning, they need to re-do their records EVERY TIME a new person is imprisoned or someone gets released. The alpha list changes all the time. Also she’s the person the coordinator relies on to collect the “taxes” of the cell and log these in the ledger. She also organizes the donations for distribution to the cell mates. Also, when it comes to giving bad news to the people within her cell, the coordinator lets her do the job of announcing unpleasant things if need be. Again, this is a tiring job. Only one person holds this position and she is voted into it. And ever this person is appointed by the leader, there’s a chance that people will hate on her because she wasn’t voted on by the majority.
COORDINATOR (Mayora)
She is the most respected person in the cell, voted amongst everyone to lead. She creates the rules, assigns all the punishments and reprimands, and basically mediates a lot of fights if there are any. She has the power to discipline everyone in her cell. She has to have a good relationship with the wardens so most of her requests for the cell and the detainees under her charge will get approved. People normally give her food from their dalaw and other trinkets to get to her good side, but a fair coordinator will still reprimand those who have done wrong regardless. If jail officers do not like this leader, then everyone under her will suffer, which is why it’s best to pick a person who’s close to them for this post. Normally coordinators are called for meetings with the warden. Now there are good coordinators who negotiate the wants and needs of their people firmly and clearly (that was definitely how I did it). However, there are coordinators who are not very good at communicating, so they simply say yes to whatever the warden wants. So, if the warden wants everyone from their cell to move to another cell (which is a huge hassle), then nobody will have a choice but live with that kind of erratic decision. When it comes to conflicts with other cells, she becomes the lawyer of her own cell, and must talk things out with other coordinators to ensure that their detainees will never clash with each other. Coordinators stop big fights as well and so much more. In short, the life of a detainee is dependent on the coordinator’s way of governing the cell.
MAYORESS/MAYOR
As over-all head of the entire body of detainees, this post has oversight over all coordinators. Note that in a female jail she has no real function or bearing; a Mayoress only has bragging rights and everyone’s respect, since coordinators have more hold on their people. Either way, it’s still cool to be voted to lead everyone else even if they have little involvement in disciplining or making decisions because they don’t want to hover over the coordinators. But in a male jail, this position is the most powerful. Mayors can get someone padlocked (meaning a detainee cannot step outside the cell at all as punishment) or can even take away a detainee’s privileges regardless what cell they’re in. What makes a male dormitory’s mayor so powerful is that people will need to kiss their butt to feel safe inside the facility.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE JAILS HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES OR YOU’D LIKE TO REQUEST CERTAIN TOPICS: PLEASE DO COMMENT BELOW OR EMAIL ME AT KarenBordadorPH@gmail.com . THANK YOU!
The extreme personalities I met in jail 3/3
Heto talaga yung last part. I hope you enjoyed the first two parts so far. First we discussed the jail hierarchy, then the first batch of other kinds of people I met inside. Taralets!
1. BEMBOL
This is what you call someone sipsip, who will shower you with all the compliments and kiss your ass. They tend to look at you with longing eyes, eager to simply say whatever they want to say to you. They’re out there either to flirt with you or just to make your day. Their words are fluff, so at least they can make you laugh and feel good.
2. MAMA __(name of the detainee)__ / MI
This is what you call a motherly figure who’s older than you. I called so many gals there “Mama” ___(insert name here)___ . Some of them aren’t even real mothers, but they are both respected and conduct themselves in a respectable manner. They will often give you as much advice as they can. They like watching over you and making sure you’re protected. Sometimes they can be overprotective, but once inside it’s all about watching over each other. If you ever find yourself in a sticky situation, they will defend you to the very end.
3. SENIOR KUNO
These are the complete opposite of the MAMAs. In jail, as soon as there is an activity, you have to rush outside your cell to line up and join the said event. But for some reason, the SENIOR KUNO tend to get “SICK” when there are activities that they would need to attend but they’re too lazy to go to. They would always claim they’re SENIOR CITIZENS when it comes to activities like Zumba, spiritual seminars or educational sessions. Because they pretend they’re “seniors,” they’ll walk slow like they can’t even hurt a finger. However whenever BIYAYA (gifts from outside arrive), they miraculously start running so fast and kick everyone out of the way like a miracle has just happened! I honestly roll my eyes when I hear the SENIOR CITIZEN excuse. Mind you their ages range from late 30s to 50s (!). When they’re really being forced to go to the said event, they will scream that their BP (blood pressure) is high and they can’t breathe. Their acting skills are FAMAS/Gawad Urian levels of amazing, lol.
4. BURAOT QUEENS
These girls are another kind of lazy, in that they do nothing but ask for EVERYTHING. They do not work for themselves or take care of themselves at all. They are always begging and nearly demanding that you give them food, abubot or anything really! They are not shy in asking for things, to the point that they will either give you many compliments or guilt trip you for a long time till you give in. Some are actually quite charming, but there are those that just shameless ask out in the open. They confidently hustle people for whatever goods they want with zero embarrassment.
5. MANGHUHULA
OMG I met so many of them! I would go to them every day and ask them for their readings. Some read palms; It gets exciting when they look at your palm and say you have a BOX FULL OF SURPRISES, it means either good news will come and sudden blessings will be answered. One of them was different: I was christened with water while I was on a balde, with my hair completely wet. It’s a way to cleanse me so all her readings will become true daw. Haha. Many of what they said seemed to come true, but I kept on holding on to their words that I had to stop myself when I read in the Bible that it’s not good to believe in those that claim they can see. Although I still believe that God has given some of them real gifts, I learned that it’s better to simply go through life moving forward than pausing to peek into what will happen in the coming seconds.
I think there’s plenty more, pero these were the ones that really stood out for me. Whose descriptions did you enjoy the most? Could you relate to any of them, or maybe you know someone like them? Let me know in the comments!
The extreme personalities I met in jail 2/3
Did you enjoy my first pasabog? But wait, there’s more! Because jails are crowded and often full with all sorts of people from different parts of society, you really get to see all sorts of personalities and even genders inside. In Part 1 we discussed the jail hierarchy, now let’s talk about the other kinds of people I met inside. Let’s gooooo!
1. The Homeboys
They’re women that look and act like boys. Sure, you can call them tomboys (some may say they are either trans men or lesbians), but they are different! Some of them have already given birth. They have short hair, wear breast bands so they look like they have manly chests, and they all think they’re CUTE and CHARMING. They enter jail like they’re HEARTHROBS. They’re considered the only “boys” in a population full of girls. So whenever a new homeboy gets committed in jail, all the ladies try to get a glimpse at them and call dibs. They are the ones being relied on to carry the jail’s co-op goods like boxes of groceries, water gallons and sacks of rice. They are the “MUSCLE” of the facility. They are also expected to do the maintenance of the building. If things need to be repainted, doors are falling apart, sila yung go-to people for fix-it situations, under supervision by the jail officers of course. Sorry to say that the majority of them are PLAYERS. I stopped believing a homeboy when they tell me they are so in love with their homegirl girlfriend because in the years I’ve been inside, they switch partners immediately. It’s a crazy trip to Jerusalem type of relationship they have in there. Homeboys that already have partners outside, tend to still have many girlfriends inside. They’re flirts and when their wives give them food, sure ball they’ll give that to their girlfriend/s inside. It’s really funny! Imagine eating food from your partner’s ORIGINAL partner? Haha. It’s so normal to them already they don’t even choke on the food, haha! Only 1% of the homeboys are loyal. It’s quite rare to ever make a long-term match with them, lol. However they really are extremely helpful and handy. Also, they will compliment you constantly so they can boost your failing self-esteem daily.
2. The Homegirls
These are the chicks that entertain the homeboys. What’s funny is that they simply have a merry-go-round with each other. They exchange partners after a month. They are total flirts as well, all full make-up and ready to be checked out by the homeboys. Their clothes are most likely tight, and they keep beaded or crocheted wallets made in the jail with lots of different anniversary dates cause they have had too many partners. They act all super in-love when in a relationship (which is all the time, no down time for breakups) but are still eyeing the other homeboys that already have homegirls. They tend to fight with other homegirls for exchanging secret letters with their homeboys and they can be brutal. Only a few are really LOYAL.
3. COURIER
This is a shadow, a mystic in the night. She is fearless ninja! She only operates during the hours when everyone is asleep. You will almost never know who this is unless she’s willing to carry your goods to your partner in the male dorm. This person most likely has a male trustee partner in the other side. Couriers will do everything to find ways to send illegal love letter to their man. Of course, other girls will try to ride in their daily shipping routine, because letters and other things must be shown to an officer before they get sent to the male dorm. However due to the pandemic, restrictions and how busy a jail gets, letters don’t get sent anymore. So, this girl tries her best to do this daily, unseen to keep close contact with her partner. Once caught, she is in for a lot of trouble, because sending unsearched itemas to the male dorm is considered an offense. Most likely she’ll be padlocked for a month, losing all her privileges. Officers wonder what are being traded between the two and that doubt makes the act of sending illegal. This girl has major throwing, hiding, and fast hands skills. Quite impressive really!
4. BRIDGETTE
You call someone “Bridgette” when they are secrets BRIDGES to unacceptable links. If there are secret lovers who are already involved with other people, BRIDGETTE is the one that enables them to communicate discreetly, being a courier of their love letters. She is the one that sends food back and forth and all other exchanges. Of course, she’s compensated for her secrecy, so she most likely gets food, toiletries or any of her needs filled as long as she continues to be the bridge haha.
5. KOKAKs
These are the mga chismosang palakas and pakialameras – OMG there were SO many of them! They love spreading little bits of information they think are juicy and pass it on immediately as if they have a cellphone that says SEND TO ALL. They can’t keep their mouth shut. They will even gossip about their bedmates and friends. They do not discriminate. EVERYONE is included in their discussions. If you are quite “popular” then rest assured you’re most likely always top of mind. You have to avoid their gaze because if they see you do something, no matter what it is, they will find ways to make your actions sound juicy and report those to the world like professional paparazzis. Many fights in jail come about because of chismis. They escalate and have a life of their own, so it’s damaging to the person’s image. However if sila naman yung pagchichismisan, they act like they are total victims that have been wronged and those that talked about them should be condemned. They just don’t get that karma is digital nowadays. Haha.
6. BUNDOL
These are the people to fear! They tend to snitch on you. They see something that you’re doing, good or bad… they will eventually make it bulong to whoever may be affected and make it look so wrong to the point you will be reprimanded by the jail guards. I avoid these people! They’re so judgmental and think they’re perfect. They’re like silent firestarters that act all holy. They assume everyone else is scheming. They’ve already appointed themselves as the CCTV of the facility, so they are always on the lookout for more things to BUNDOL. They enjoy getting others into trouble with their little sumbongs that can do massive damage to the detainee. When confronted if they are the ones that tattled or made sumbong, they act as if they don’t even know the issue and pretend they’re mere victims of framing. They rarely confess that they made certain people look bad which led to the unnecessary punishment of a fellow prisoner. They are never to be trusted with secrets.
So this turned out quite long. Comment below if you can relate to this. Perhaps someone you know falls into any of the categories? Haha.
Part 3 will be posted soon!
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The extreme personalities I met in jail 1/3
There are many distinct personalities that I will never forget in the female dorm. They do not represent all detainees so please don’t assume that everyone you will meet inside are like this. If you were detained or have ever visited a city jail here in the Philippines then you’d most likely know these. They are honestly entertaining and funny to watch. They make the jail more interesting and bordering exciting. I suppose without them then there wouldn’t be so much action in prison.
This will be a three-part post because it’s super long! Please watch out for Parts 2 and 3!
1. BAGO
This is what detainees who have only entered jail for less than a year are called; everyone starts here. They are the unruly juniors that still need to mellow out. They tend to be slow and still a little bit freaked out over their situation. They also still lack respect when it comes to the staff and to those who have been inside longer. You almost always need to call their attention, or else they will be the reason why the entire cell will be constantly punished because once inside, ang kasalanan ng isa ay kasalanan ng lahat.
One mistake of a BAGO can make cell leaders look bad, as if they were never oriented. This causes a lot of reprimands by the officers.
2. LUMA
These are the girls that have been detained for many years (I fall in this category). They get more respect, like senior classmates or the sempai-kohai relationship in Japanese anime. They are considered supposedly the role models of the BAGO. However, there are some that are so familiar with the jail system that they tend to get away with everything to the point that they may break the rules and go against jail etiquette.
3. TRUSTEES
This is what you call all the jail aides or help who work directly with the officers. They are the ones that get to go around to restricted areas like the kitchen and the Co-op. Either they have a job inside these areas like being a cook or taga-luto, an administration staffer who helps with the records and reports, co-op tindera, or cleaner. Jail officers have their own trustees too who act like assistants in everything, from washing clothes to anything really. . Either way you get to become a trustee when you have a certain skill or they find you trustworthy.
Trustees are compensated in cash and kind, and they get more freedom than everyone else. They also wake up earlier than everyone else and get back to the cell way later than the normal prisoner since they have many responsibilities. When a cell has been punished and padlocked, they are the only ones that can roam around. At times a trustee is a mini-me of a jail officer, so aside from tending to the officer’s needs, the trustee gets to join when the officer works out or even does fun recreational things like watching movies or doing sports. It can be fun to be one, and the title carries a lot of prestige.
Unfortunately, because of this, trustees also have a tendency na lumaki yung ulo. They forget that they are expendable. They suddenly eat the food officers eat, they earn a little and have influence over their bosses, and they kinda think they don’t have to follow rules that normal detainees are bound by. They constantly need to be reminded that they are still prisoners and they must follow the rules like everyone else regardless of their privileges.
Trustees are good friends and allies to have. You get the direct scoop from them about the new possible changes that will happen at the jail since they work closely with the officers. Barely any secrets are kept. They can talk a lot. If they started off quiet, they’ll eventually be noisy as months go by. They will most likely tell others who’s currently on the hot seat of the officers and other interpersonal issues. Since they have more privileges, they will give you excess to food for as long as they like you and their supplies allow it. They can possibly give you free onions, tomatoes, etc occasionally, which are like gold inside. Just don’t piss them off because they can directly have you punished by their officer boss.
4. QTs (pronounced as CUTIES)
This is what we call Qualified Theft girls. They’re being accused of stealing money, normally by companies. QTs are known to be educated, well-versed and professional. Majority of them worked in corporations. They are normally handpicked as trustees to do paperwork and admin work in jail. They’re easier to talk to because they have a deeper understanding of things. They normally have loving family members supporting them. Unfortunately, their cases can be a little bit hard to win because corporations are brutal in court. Complainant companies have all the files from the offices and take control of them. Anything QTs can use as defense, companies will never let them have so their situations can be challenging. If any of them gets convicted, they face life sentences. Hence they’re extremely prayerful and do a lot of acts of kindness in hopes that these will help them get home faster.
5. JO10 (pronounced as J-O-ten) or JO-WOW
JO1 is a jail officer’s rank. So detainees who act like jail officers are called this. This is never a good nickname. It only means you’re quite feelingera. You walk around like a boss and act like you’re above everyone. This J010 is a trustee who thinks and acts like they’re an officer because they’re always in close relation with their bosses. They are suffering a case of Hydrocephalus, or grabe sa laki na ng ulo na they don’t join in group therapy sessions and believe that the rules don’t apply to them anymore. While girls are seated on the ground in an event, the JO10s stand like the officers and think they’re one of them… they belittle detainee ways because they feel like they’re in a different level already… kaya JO-WOW!!!
So what do you think? Let me know in the comments section. Don’t forget, may Parts 2 and 3 pa!
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I may have lost 5 years of my life, but it gave me tons of stories to share! Please help me reach my goals of getting back on track and helping more people deal with adversities through my stories. Your generosity will help jumpstart my life.
$20.00
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You can also donate in pesos to contribute to my new beginnings!
PHP 500.00
Karen Bordador 