25/10/2025
“Lahat naman tayo may kasalanan, kami lang ‘yung nahuli.”
The statement carried weight during Kape’t Kabuhayan, Kuwentong Kalayaan: Ex-Preso at TALAB 2025—a formation session organized by the Ateneo Office for Social Concern and Involvement’s Student Volunteer Formation Center (OSCI–SVFC) under this year’s TALAB: Talakayang Alay sa Bayan, themed “Walking with the Excluded.” The event brought Ateneo students face to face with Persons Restored of Liberty (PRLs)—formerly incarcerated individuals—who now serve as baristas under Ex-Preso, a livelihood program of the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service (PJPS). Over cups of brewed coffee and stories of transformation, the session invited everyone to rethink what freedom truly means.
Freedom, as the PRLs revealed, is not simply stepping out of prison—it is the daily act of rebuilding one’s dignity, regaining trust, and rediscovering purpose. “Dati rin ako katulad ninyo, dati rin ako may pangarap,” one shared, recalling how he once dreamed of becoming an electrical engineer before spending fifteen years behind bars. Another described the weight of stigma that followed even after release: “Para kaming hindi tao, parang hayop,” he said quietly. Yet he added, with conviction, “Tao rin kami.”
As their stories unfolded, students listened—not as outsiders, but as companions in conversation. Small group circles allowed deeper dialogue, where empathy grew from genuine encounter. The lines separating student and PRL began to fade, and what remained was shared humanity, held together by the act of listening.
The afternoon ended with a coffee painting activity—a creative reflection that turned something bitter into something beautiful. Using brewed coffee as their medium, participants and PRLs painted their personal visions of freedom and renewal. One PRL, who spoke of being distanced from his family and reading messages from his children saying, “Di ako makakapunta pa” or “Busy ako ngayon pa,” created a piece of a man stepping out of prison—a quiet symbol of hope and transformation. The room filled with the faint aroma of coffee and the warmth of shared humanity.
Kape’t Kabuhayan, Kuwentong Kalayaan served as a reminder that freedom extends beyond the absence of bars. It is found in livelihood, in community, and in the shared act of seeing each other as human. By creating spaces of encounter and empathy, OSCI–SVFC reaffirmed the Jesuit call to walk with the excluded—to listen, to accompany, and to believe that even in the darkest corners, compassion can brew something profoundly transformative.
Spiel by Juls Uy and Rhys Anonuevo
Coverage by Jacinta Jimenez, Aisha Pandapatan, and Rish Pimentel
