Dancing Inmates

 I was about to go to sleep when I suddenly felt the need to watch something on Netflix that could help me drift off afterward. I came across this documentary called Happy Jail. Just to refresh your memory, it’s about the Cebu jail with the dancing inmates, made famous for their Michael Jackson tribute performance.

At first glance, I thought it would just be a simple story about how the dancing inmates started. But after reading the episode descriptions, I realized it’s much deeper than that. It covers conspiracies, shared governance, the war on drugs, political ambitions, and a lot more.

Basically, the story revolves around inmates who testified that the jail was once called Happy Jail for a reason. They were thankful for their consultant, who made that happen (I won’t drop his name, just look it up on Netflix). This consultant, however, was criticized by the government because he was an ex-convict who had been appointed as the jail leader by the governor at the time.

While hearings were being held to remove him from his position based on allegations of exploitation and human rights violations after an incident involving contraband, the inmates themselves came forward to defend him. They proudly shared their stories to support their consultant and to fight for the privileges they once had, which were later taken away.

Why am I posting this?

Just to raise awareness of the two faces of government and media. One is the face that’s always looking for a story to fill the afternoon news headlines. The other is that of a politician and her brother who sought justice and a better future by imposing new rules to protect people deprived of liberty, while condemning officials she believed were masterminds behind the secrecy inside the jail.

Just watch it.