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After opening up fruits , people dispose of peelings in the garbage bin and munch on their flesh with nary a thought on what to do with the refuse.
But for inmates at the Maghaway Talisay City Jail, fruit peels are a source of sustainable livelihood.
The fruit peels are used for composting and vermi-compost fertilizer, explained Talisay City Jail Warden Chief Insp. Renante Rubio.
Started two years ago, the program uses artificially cultivated worms that convert organic garbage like fruit peels into useful fertilizer.
Inmates like 49-year old Victor Quentro said they use mango and pineapple peels to produce vermi-compost which is marketed in different jails in Cebu.
The Talisay city jail has 16 plots to keep producing vermi-compost which is packed in clear plastic bags and sold for P15 per kilo.
Inmates in the program produce two to three sacks of vermi-compost a month.
The monthly P400 income is deposited in the jail?s cooperative with the amount available for use by the inmates for medication.
Some of these products are displayed at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Regional Office.
The Talisay City Jail, considered a model prison compound, houses 345 inmates in cottages that can accommodate 40 to 50 inmates each.
Located in barangay Maghaway, it had acquired a sanitary permit for its eight food handlers.
Another livelihood program Rubio envisions for inmates is the manufacture of dish washing liquid similar to those sold in supermarkets.
The livelihood project involves 30 inmates and began a week ago. It is sponsored by the Cebu Archdiocesan Prisoner Apostolate (CAPA).
Rubio said they also plan to partner with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for trainings in basic electricity, welding and automotive mechanics.
With these and other programs, Rubio said he believes that inmates can be rehabilitated and become productive members of society even in jail. Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus
