In the days leading up to National Public Library Day on March 9, the Iligan City Jail–Male Dormitory strengthened its commitment to education and rehabilitation with a significant book donation from the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP).
A total of 460 books were formally turned over to the jail library by NMP staff at the museum site along Padre Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Manila. The collection was received by JO3 Walter W Mainit Jr (Library Staff), JO1 Trisha Carmie B Abrogar (Development Officer), and JO1 April P Ebanalo (Development) on behalf of the jail.
The donated materials span a wide range of subjects, ensuring that persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) will have access to diverse knowledge resources under the Read Your Way-Out (RYWO) Project implemented by the facility. The collection includes:
- Philippine Art & Culture: Catalogs of cartography, sacred art traditions, ethnographic collections, and works on artists such as Virginia Ty-Navarro, Leonore RS Lim, and Impy Pilapil.
- History & Archaeology: Studies on prehistoric burials, lithic traditions, the Metal Age, and archaeological surveys across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
- Natural Sciences: Fossils, geology, marine biology, ethnobotany, moss endemism, zoological surveys, and taxonomy manuals.
- Philippine Heritage & Literature: Baybayin scripts, cultural regulation manuals, heritage laws, and bibliographies.
- Institutional Records: Journals of Natural History, exhibition guides, and centennial publications of the NMP.
The RYWO is a prison reform and literacy initiative launched in the Philippines in 2022 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in partnership with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the National Library of the Philippines, and other cultural institutions. Its goal is to use reading and access to libraries as a pathway for rehabilitation and even sentence reduction for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
Following the turnover, the delegation met with Ms. Anne Rosette G. Crelencia, Chief of the Central Library and Archives Section, Research, Collections and Conservation Management Division of the NMP, along with her staff. Discussions centered on sustaining partnerships for library development and cultural education initiatives tailored for PDLs.
City Jail Warden JCINSP CARMELO A CORSAME expressed gratitude for the donation, emphasizing its impact on rehabilitation: “Education is a powerful tool for transformation. These books will not only enrich the minds of our PDLs but also inspire them to see beyond the walls of confinement.”
The Iligan City Jail–Male Dormitory encourages the public to continue supporting its library initiatives through book donations. Contributions of educational, cultural, and literary materials will help expand opportunities for learning and personal growth among PDLs.
