The Apostleship of Prayer Spreads Sacred Heart Devotion at Camp Caringal

The Apostleship of Prayer (AP) CTK sponsored a Mass at Quezon City Female Dorm at Camp Karingal last June 17 in honor of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 28.

Fr. Marvin Pajarillaga, Cubao Diocese Prison Coordinator, celebrated the Mass. Eucharistic ministers from the Divine Mercy Chapel assisted him during communion time while the in-house choir consisting of inmates provided the music.

Currently there are 1,100 inmates housed in the facility that can only accommodate 180. The facility, which was opened for female inmates in 2002, started with only 180 women detainees who came from the Quezon City Jail. Their offenses range from petty theft, robbery, estafa, syndicated estafa, drug pushing or using, illegal recruitment, kidnapping, and murder. The number of inmates slowly rose through the years.

When Operation Tokhang was launched in 2016, the number of inmates ballooned to 1,300. They have since maintained the number of inmates to over 1,100 depending on the daily release of cases or the number of newly admitted detainees.

The slow processing of their cases is due to the frequent cancellation of the hearings for different reasons like absence of the judge, the prosecutor, or the accuser. Less than ten inmates from the original batch who were imprisoned in 2002 remain in the facility. Others have been pardoned or have been released after having served their time. Those found guilty of major, non-bailable offenses were then transferred to the Women’s Correctional facility in Mandaluyong.

The ages of the women detainees range from eighteen to over seventy years old. Pregnant women at the time they are admitted give birth inside the facility. The babies are either taken by relatives or put up for adoption.

As of this writing, a new facility to house the 1,100 inmates was built at the back of the present structure. The old building will be used for their livelihood, formation, and other activities.