Aired (August 31, 2024): Sampung taon na ang nakalipas nang makilala ni Kara David ang mga matatandang person deprived of liberty o PDL sa Correctional Institution for Women. Dito niya nakilala si Lola Petra— ang pinakamatandang PDL noon sa women’s correctional. Namulat din siya sa kuwento ng iba’t ibang PDL na nakapiit dito.
‘I-Witness’ is GMA Network's longest-running and most awarded documentary program. It is hosted by the country’s top documentarists— Howie Severino, Kara David, Atom Araullo, Mav Gonzales, and John Consulta. ‘I-Witness’ airs every Saturday, 10:15 PM on GMA Network.
Subscribe to youtube.com/gmapublicaffairs for our full episodes.
‘I-Witness’ is GMA Network's longest-running and most awarded documentary program. It is hosted by the country’s top documentarists— Howie Severino, Kara David, Atom Araullo, Mav Gonzales, and John Consulta. ‘I-Witness’ airs every Saturday, 10:15 PM on GMA Network.
Subscribe to youtube.com/gmapublicaffairs for our full episodes.
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FunTranscript
00:0010 years have passed since I first got to know Dorm 12
00:28by the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong.
00:33Hello, good morning.
00:44There are more than 100 PDLs or Persons Deprived of Liberty in Dorm 12.
00:50Most of them are old people or have serious illnesses.
00:55Kaya?
01:06Where is Lola?
01:10Is this yours?
01:12Why don't you have a cushion?
01:14I don't want to be difficult to remove.
01:17I can't be removed.
01:20In Dorm 12, I got to know Lola Petra,
01:23the oldest prisoner in the Women's Correctional.
01:3510 years have passed.
01:37How are the grandmothers of Dorm 12?
01:50At the age of 91, Lola Petra was the only one who knew how to write her name.
01:59Who taught you how to write your name?
02:02Tino Tolomeda.
02:05But you couldn't read?
02:07No, I couldn't read.
02:10I'm a glueless person.
02:12I don't know how to read.
02:15No read, no write.
02:17No read, no write.
02:19But her case is a falsification of public documents.
02:26What documents did you give her?
02:29I gave her a piece of paper,
02:33but she didn't read it.
02:36I hoped she would read it.
02:39When my grandson called her,
02:41she signed it.
02:43That's what they did.
02:45But I couldn't read it.
02:47I couldn't read it,
02:49even though she signed it.
02:53So the only thing you know how to read is your name?
02:56I know my name.
03:00But she didn't read it.
03:03But you couldn't read the document?
03:06No, I couldn't read the document.
03:12Life in prison is difficult,
03:14even more so for the elderly and the sick.
03:20It's good that the people are alive in prison.
03:24Every Sunday, they work hard
03:27to provide food and medicine for the elderly.
03:31They are also the ones who take care of the sick and the elderly.
03:37As we forgive those who trespass against us
03:40and lead us not into temptation
03:42but deliver us from evil.
03:45It's 5 o'clock in the morning
03:47and the lives of the women here in the correctional
03:51begin with prayer.
03:56Good morning, Dorm 12.
03:58Good morning, Ma'am.
04:00Good morning, Lola.
04:02I lived in Dorm 12 for three days.
04:06In a short period of time,
04:08I learned that no matter how dark their past was,
04:12the grandmothers were able to free each other
04:15because of their help.
04:31I was able to get closer to the grandmothers of Dorm 12.
04:35I visited the correctional several times
04:37to bring them a small gift.
04:40I hope that in my next visit,
04:44many of them will be free.
04:57When I visited St. Papa in the Philippines
05:00on January 15, 2015,
05:02I had a rare opportunity
05:05to talk to Pope Francis.
05:10I gave Pope Francis a small cross
05:13made by the grandmothers of the correctional.
05:17It was as big as a letter and a picture.
05:20He asked for prayer and help
05:23to free Lola Petra.
05:27Only the President of the Philippines
05:30has the power to free the Bilangos.
05:34But I hope that with the help of prayer,
05:37Lola Petra will be able to use
05:39the freedom she is hoping for.
05:57Pope Francis and President Noy Noy Aquino
06:00met several times.
06:03I hoped that this would be the way
06:06to free Lola Petra
06:09through executive clemency.
06:16But until St. Papa returned to Rome,
06:19the mouth of Malacanang remained shut.
06:26I had a heavy heart to return
06:29to the Women's Correctional.
06:32I was determined to fulfill my mission
06:35to free Lola Petra.
06:38But despite this,
06:41the grandmothers of Dorm 12 still welcomed me warmly.
06:45Despite this, the grandmothers of Dorm 12 still welcomed me warmly.
06:56Ma'am, do you remember us?
06:58What?
06:59Do you remember us?
07:00Of course, why not?
07:02I gave you my crosses.
07:04I gave you my crosses, Ma'am.
07:06We said,
07:07Oh, she gave it to Pope Francis.
07:09We saw it.
07:11Oh, how are you?
07:14Where is my favorite grandmother?
07:16Lola Petra.
07:18Where is my Lola Petra?
07:20Lola Petra!
07:21Your grandchild is here.
07:22She's coming back.
07:28Your grandchild!
07:32Just after Lola Petra's birthday,
07:35she is now 92 years old.
07:40I don't know if you're crying or laughing.
07:42Your grandchild is here, my God.
07:47My God!
07:54Lola can't speak.
07:59I have a gift for you.
08:02But before I could give my gift,
08:05Lola Petra suddenly came out of nowhere.
08:07Give this to me.
08:10This is my souvenir.
08:12You're really going to give me a gift?
08:14Lola, thank you.
08:16And for me, what's the price?
08:19Lola told me that she saw me with St. Papa,
08:23but he wasn't around.
08:25Now, I'm going to give this to you so you can always remember Pope.
08:30This is a rosary.
08:32Pope blessed this for you.
08:35So that when you get married,
08:37you will have a good wife,
08:41a good mother,
08:43a good father.
08:45We always pray for you, Lola.
08:48And we don't just pray for you, but for St. Papa as well.
08:52I can't do it anymore.
08:55My child has been sick for a long time.
08:58She has a fever.
09:00Until December, November,
09:02I don't know what to do.
09:05I tried to stop her,
09:07but she didn't say anything but,
09:09You will have mercy on me.
09:13Let's pray.
09:15The Lord has mercy on us.
09:17Yes, the Lord has mercy on us.
09:19Just wait a little longer.
09:23She's going to cry again, Lola.
09:25Don't cry.
09:31Okay, Lola.
09:33God bless you.
09:37Okay.
09:41Thank you as well.
09:54I prayed.
09:56I hope what St. Papa said is true.
10:00I hope what is written is true.
10:03The Lord hears all our prayers.
10:13February 27, 2015
10:16The Lord heard our prayers.
10:20Here it is.
10:22You are free now.
10:26Lola!
10:35You are free now.
10:49We are free now.
10:51Through the Bureau of Corrections,
10:54President Aquino gave the parole to Lola Petra.
10:59Finally, Lola Petra is free.
11:05We dedicate this award to Lola Petra.
11:08Our documentary about the grandmothers of Dorm 12
11:12won an award at the New York Film Festival in 2016.
11:19It was a sweet victory.
11:21But for me,
11:24the freedom of the remaining grandmothers is the real victory.
11:31When will it come?
11:43Ten years have passed.
11:45How are the grandmothers of Dorm 12?
11:49How is Lola Petra?
11:54I first met Lola Petra in 2014.
11:58In a remote barangay in Baguio City,
12:01I met Lola Petra.
12:06Lola!
12:09She can't hear me.
12:16Do you remember me?
12:19Lola!
12:22How are you?
12:25Do you remember me?
12:27Cara David!
12:32She said yes.
12:34Right, Cara David?
12:38How are you?
12:40How are you?
12:47What?
12:48Are you going to cry?
12:49Don't cry.
12:53Don't cry.
12:54She remembers me.
12:56Lola Petra is now 100 years old.
13:01She can't walk and it's hard for her to speak.
13:05But she has a clear mind.
13:08Do you know me?
13:09I know you.
13:12She said thank you.
13:14I was surprised that Lola still remembers me.
13:17We haven't seen each other for 10 years.
13:22According to her children,
13:24their mother loves to watch television.
13:27What does she always say?
13:29She always says,
13:31what is it,
13:33how does she,
13:35what is it,
13:37how does she get closer to the Pope.
13:39She tells that when she gets closer to the Pope.
13:41She tells that to me?
13:43And what does she say?
13:45She says,
13:46you are the one who gets closer to her.
13:49You are the reason why she gets closer to the Pope.
13:57Lola Petra will grow up
13:59and on the day of her release,
14:01she has no other wish
14:03but to return to farming.
14:06When she came back here after her release,
14:08did she still walk?
14:10She still walks.
14:11She still walks?
14:12She still goes out to farm.
14:16Oh really?
14:17Actually, she only grows crotons here.
14:21But as the years go by,
14:26Lola slowly weakens.
14:36Yes, yes, yes.
14:38Until she can no longer walk.
14:41There, she's lying down.
14:45She can't walk.
14:47She can't walk.
14:49She can't walk.
14:55Lola Petra is a single mother.
14:58I am a single mother.
15:00She raised her children alone.
15:08That is why she sacrifices her siblings
15:12for their mother.
15:14I pray that she doesn't die.
15:17I want her to live.
15:19I pray that she doesn't die.
15:21I hope she doesn't live for another 10 years.
15:26I am having a hard time taking care of her.
15:29I don't want to lose her.
15:32I want to see her again.
15:38There, let's sunbathe.
15:40I know you really want to sunbathe.
15:45Every day, Lola Petra goes out to farm.
15:56This is Lola's favorite thing to do every day.
16:04We used to do this in the correctional center.
16:08Sitting outside, sunbathing,
16:13the sky is covered by a piece of sky
16:17that is not covered by the walls of the hospital.
16:22I also remember that aside from Lola Petra,
16:25there is another elderly woman
16:27that I always take her out to sunbathe.
16:30Her name is Lola Rose.
16:36She has a disease.
16:37She is blind.
16:38She can hardly walk.
16:41Within 11 years,
16:43no one visited Lola Rose.
16:49She has no other wish
16:51but to see her child in another country.
16:55She asked me back then
16:57if she could be called.
17:00I am tired of this.
17:02I don't know what to do.
17:05I don't know what to do.
17:08I always pray, pray, pray to God.
17:14My voice is ridiculous.
17:16I might have forgotten.
17:20For almost 11 years, I think.
17:25I don't know how I will be able
17:27to endure her torture.
17:30I couldn't do anything
17:32but hug the elderly woman.
17:35I forgot what I was taught.
17:37Kara.
17:38I love you, Kara.
17:42I love you too, Lola.
17:51After 10 years,
17:55how is Lola Rose now?
17:59Did her wish come true?
18:02Will she be able to see her child?
18:0810 years later
18:16After 10 years,
18:19Hello, good morning.
18:34On my way back to the Correctional,
18:37This is Dorm 12.
18:39Yeah.
18:40Hello.
18:41I know her.
18:43I know you.
18:44I know you.
18:46I was embraced by familiar faces.
18:50I'm so happy for you.
18:55I know you.
18:57I remember you.
18:59Yes, ma'am.
19:00We danced together.
19:03Yes, ma'am.
19:06Dorm 12 is new.
19:08It's Disney Princess now.
19:10Morning, ma'am.
19:11But it's still dark.
19:13I know you.
19:15Reunion, reunion.
19:16But your hair is white.
19:19Of course, I'm a senior.
19:23You don't look like a senior when we met.
19:27Your hair is white.
19:28I hope you'll be free.
19:30I'll be free.
19:31We're almost there.
19:32Dorm 12 is almost unchanged.
19:39But I saw some of the original grandmothers here.
19:45Many of them are already released.
19:48But some of them were sentenced to death in prison.
19:53Are you Grandma Rose?
19:54Yes, I am.
19:55Grandma Rose is dead.
19:57Tita Rose Mendoza?
19:58Yes, Rose Mendoza.
19:59What happened?
20:00She's old.
20:01She's sick, ma'am.
20:02Did her son bring her back?
20:05I don't think so.
20:06No?
20:07Ederlina was one of Grandma Rose's last companions before she passed away.
20:14Until the last moment of Grandma Rose,
20:17the guards and jail guards took care of the old woman.
20:22Tita Rose was really sick.
20:25We took her to the infirmary.
20:30The guards took care of her.
20:35Suddenly, she died.
20:38She died?
20:39Yes.
20:40Where did she die?
20:42A brother took her.
20:44A brother or a daughter?
20:46A daughter.
20:47A brother or a daughter was traced by the C.I.W.
20:56They took her body.
21:00Until her last breath, she did not see her family.
21:08This is the reality inside the prison.
21:12There are old people who are no longer visited by their loved ones.
21:18But they continue to hold on to hope.
21:22Their hearts grow stronger whenever one of them is released.
21:27I will show you because I visited Grandma.
21:31Grandma Petra is now 100 years old.
21:36She's still alive.
21:37She's strong.
21:38She's strong.
21:41There she is.
21:46She's strong.
21:47There she is.
21:50She's strong.
21:51She's 100 years old.
21:54She's our support.
21:56She's the one who supports us.
21:59We can do it.
22:01She's still alive.
22:02We can do it.
22:03We can do it.
22:05We can do it.
22:07When Grandma Petra was released in 2015,
22:10the other grandmothers were released and given parole.
22:15But not all of them were granted freedom.
22:19Chato has been in prison for three decades.
22:23She was only 30 years old when she was released.
22:26Her hair has turned white.
22:30She was released one by one.
22:35I was released in 1995.
22:40You were the only one who was released?
22:41Yes, I was the only one who was released.
22:43Chato has been in prison for the longest time in Dorm 12.
22:48Sometimes she thinks,
22:50there's still freedom waiting for her.
22:54When I was released, I was so happy.
22:57I said, Lord, thank you.
22:58But in 2023, I felt sad.
23:01I cried.
23:02I cried.
23:03I didn't show it to them.
23:05I cried because I was envious.
23:08I wanted to be free, to be strong,
23:11to be with my children.
23:14According to the Correctional Institution for Women,
23:17there are about 555 senior prisoners here.
23:23Most are between the ages of 60 and 70,
23:27including those like Chato.
23:29Recently, the Department of Justice issued a resolution
23:33regarding senior prisoners.
23:36According to the new legislation,
23:38if a prisoner reaches the age of 70
23:42and has served his sentence for 10 years,
23:47he can be released under the process of parole
23:51or executive clemency.
23:55And because of this,
23:56those like Chato continue to hold on to hope.
24:01Thank God, I still have the strength.
24:03I can still take care of my grandchildren.
24:06I can still help my children.
24:09And with God's help, I will still continue to worship.
24:12This is really a continuous change in life.
24:27I learned a lot during my visits to the Correctional Institution.
24:40No matter how dark their past,
24:42it is possible for them to start a new life in prison.
24:57Hey!
24:59No matter how many decades have passed,
25:02the pain of not being able to wait for a change is still alive.
25:17And no matter how long their wait is,
25:22prayer and faith are what keeps them steadfast in life.
25:36They say that true freedom lies in the heart and mind.
25:43In the last moments of their lives,
25:46let us not forget them.
25:51I love you.
25:53I love you.
25:55I love you.
25:57I love you.
25:59I love you.
26:01I love you.
26:03I love you.
26:06I'm leaving now.
26:09I'll buy you some milk.
26:11Okay.
26:16Bye-bye.
26:17Go to sleep.
26:22I am Kara David and this is Eyewitness.
26:32Go to sleep. Bye-bye.
26:51EYEWITNESS
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