Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC)

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and I wanted a diversion at that time.  I thought a visit to the CPDRC to watch the dancing inmates would perk me up.  

So I went to the Cebu Provincial Capitol building where the buses were waiting.  I signed up and they gave me an ID pass. Note that the CPDRC show is free and anybody can watch their performance every last Saturday of the month. Just make sure you have a reservation with the Cebu Provincial Capitol Office since every CPDRC show gets a lot of viewers.

CPDRC is in a hilly part of Cebu and going up there in a big bus can actually be a bit dangerous since the road is by the cliff.  In fact, we got lost briefly since the guide they gave us wasn't familiar with the place.

Anyway, when we got there we were given a video presentation of the history of CPDRC and the local government's efforts to rehabilitate the inmates through music, creative crafts and gardening.

In the hall outside the room, they were selling souvenirs.  Business was brisk since a lot of us (foreign and locals alike) bought the items. 

We were then led to the viewing  decks to watch the inmates dance.  New moves were introduced, there were also expected dance numbers that were similar to that posted on YouTube.  Overall, the CPDRC show was a success. 

To give you an idea of the CPDRC inmates' dancing skills, here's a sleek video produced by SonyPictures: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKtdTJP_GUI  and of course the viral video, one of Michael Jackson's favorites, Thriller:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o   As update, some of the original dancers of these videos have already been released and I heard that they have formed their own dance group with support from former jail warden Byron Garcia. They visit different jails in the Philippines to train inmates on dances that would help them in their rehabilitation.