For many of his years inside Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, Jayvee carried an unspoken weight. He knew he wasn’t eligible for Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) just yet, and his path to earning a sentence reduction seemed distant. But when he volunteered to serve as an assistant ALS teacher, he did so with quiet hope, thinking that maybe, just maybe, he could bring something meaningful into his own and his PDLs’ lives.
When the one-day training on Building Emotional Resilience was offered by Programa Genio, Jayvee was skeptical. He wasn’t sure how learning about resilience would help him as an assistant teacher. But as the training progressed, he found himself drawn to the idea that inner strength was as important as the teaching skills he was gaining. The sessions introduced him to practical ways to manage stress and to reflect on his own emotions. He realized that teaching wasn’t just about lessons in books; it was about staying grounded, having patience, and fostering a sense of calm within himself that he could pass on to others.
During the training, Jayvee learned how to listen with empathy and guide his learners with compassion. He thought of his fellow PDLs—men who had, like him, made mistakes but who were now trying to piece together their lives through the ALS program. Some struggled with the simplest words, while others faced the challenge of juggling education with the heaviness of their own regrets. Jayvee realized that to truly help them, he needed more than reading strategies; he needed resilience to understand their pain, patience to teach at their pace, and strength to stay motivated despite his own setbacks.
As the training ended, Jayvee found that this new perspective filled him with purpose. He couldn’t change his circumstances immediately, and GCTA remained a distant goal. But he saw how, through resilience, he could still give something invaluable to others—the opportunity for a second chance. Even though he wasn’t yet eligible for a shorter sentence, his role as a teacher meant he could help his learners prepare for the future. With his encouragement, they could earn their equivalency certificates and finally be recognized as senior high school graduates.
Jayvee will now walk into his teaching sessions with a renewed sense of purpose. Though the GCTA may not be his reward yet, he’s found something just as meaningful: the realization that he is making a difference. His resilience has become a light that not only guides his learners but also gives him strength to keep going, knowing that one day, his turn may come. For now, his greatest reward is seeing his PDLs learn, grow, and find hope in a better future.