Behind Bars: South Cotabato Jail, Philippines | World’s Toughest Prisons | Free Documentary

an unfathomable

world

a

world

we know exists but no one wants to know the men imprisoned here are extremely dangerous and all total anarchy another inmate attacked me stabbed me in the eye no more corrupt no better for me behind

bars

it's a fight just to survive No Don't hurt anyone else, I only hurt myself and only the strongest will survive. I'm still fighting to get out of here for them. Their lives are always in someone else's hands. Animals practically caged. They will lock you up and throw away the key. behind

bars

in the

toughest

prisons

in the world The Philippines, a hot tropical country in Southeast Asia with 100 million inhabitants, a country in which six percent of the population is unemployed and in which the gap between rich and poor is hardly it could be bigger, the biggest drug problem marijuana crack methamphetamine available in the whole country but those who use drugs sooner or later will end up here in South Cotabato

jail

they are drug dealers rapists and murderers I had to kill my nephew it was in defense own guilty or not guilty all prisoners I am waiting for a hearing behind bars often for decades.

I can't do anything but wait. I miss a lot my family. A test of patience between the heat of desperation and a power struggle between the guards and those who actually have control of the prison. All I can. what he thinks is to get out of here escape survive in overcrowded conditions with no hope of being released in one of the most overcrowded

prisons

in the world the South Cotabato

jail

new prisoners arrive at the South Cotabato jail every day even though it is already hugely overcrowded this is the first time juanier du magit has seen a prison from the inside he was in a supermarket with a woman the charge of attempted murder of a cashier but the 35-year-old Filipino has not yet been technically convicted

south

cotabato

is a remand center for most of the prisoners here they are waiting for a verdict the question is will a verdict ever be issued no, yet until they try him in court then we don't know how long some wait here for months others for years whether guilty or not murderers or drug dealers dealers inside it doesn't matter anymore all that matters inside is survival I'm very nervous I don't know what will happen now this is the first time Ronnie discovers sooner than he would like what kind of world awaits him inside the walls inside one of the most overcrowded prisons in the world welcome to the South Cotabato prison a prison that is about to burst the average temperature is a tropical 35 degrees Celsius around 2,000 prisoners wait their time in a space designed for a number only a quarter of that size they live like caged animals sweat heat no privacy at all despair and rage all concentrated in a space that is too small in their first hour in prison the renovation will find out who is in charge who occupies what place in the hierarchy and what awaits him here in the future and if he has enemies here they will not recognize him immediately we have all been through this as a new prisoner Ranil is at the bottom of the prison hierarchy, he has no rights.

The belongings do not remain in his possession for long the objective is to defeat the rookie he must start from scratch with nothing in his pocket he must possess nothing but insecurity and fear and no one protects him these are Anil's last steps under the surveillance of the guards once he enters the cell block the rookie's responsibility falls on one of his fellow prisoners the cell leader from now on he decides when ronnie eats when he can leave and where he sleeps raniel's new house a 270 foot cell square inhabited by 69 inmates is the cell for newcomers, no matter if they are drug dealers or murderers, they all start here in one of the most crowded and hottest cells in the jail, go up there, you are new, so you sleep there, go to the most congested place at the top of the corner where the heat accumulates where the air is made up of sweat and frustration being here it is terribly stressful i have never been in a place like this before starting now ranil must stay in the cell for 15 days He can only leave when the cell leader allows him to and is accompanied by Ranil who has no say in the matter only those who follow the rules survive in the South Cotabato jail the biggest problem the jail is completely overcrowded in just two buildings designed for about 600 prisoners 1618 prisoners are serving sentences about 150 of them are in prison called punishment cells cells that are always closed for dangerous repeat offenders or sick prisoners the elderly are in a separate wing for elderly people also in a separate wing apart from men there are 400 women essential for survival are the prison kitchen the prayer room and the visiting room area that is open once a week the entire facility is patrolled by only five guards and their hands are tied 20 public servants against about 2,000 inmates an unfair fight rodrigo baludiro has been a jailer at the South Cotabato prison for 18 years his job is to keep the peace but he must always keep three things in mind the danger to his men corruption and keeping a distance between the guards and the prisoners do not let the guards enter the compound their contact with the prisoners should be minimal some of the inmates could develop a personal relationship with them it just doesn't matter what crime they have committed and that can lead to other problems, which means that one of The only jobs left are to monitor the exterior walls, the guards must rely primarily on security cameras and the hierarchy within the compound.

The prison walls because the prison is governed from within for Baludio, that is a mental strain, but it cannot change the situation in the prison. His people enter the walls only twice a day to do a head count. It's 4 in the afternoon, around 2,000 prisoners in total. a space and a guard to count them the guard seems more like a subordinate of those who really have control here if ronnie breaks the law on the outside he ends up in jail on the inside the one who has the power to decide is known as the president the president he is the boss in South Cotabato jail we have rules here and you will follow them, I got it, yes sir, respect me and do what the bailiffs and I tell you, then you will be fine, the hierarchy is clear at the top, the president and his assistants the so-called marshals armed with clubs at the bottom rookies like ronio otherwise the only way to come to power is money prisoners with money can buy what they need to survive cigarettes food at the prison kiosk and above all fresh water those who cannot afford it have to drink groundwater in the tropical

philippines

with an average temperature of 35 degrees centigrade this is a dangerous proposition it is easy to contract diseases such as tuberculosis and whoever falls ill is locked in total isolation for fear of the epidemics, fear that a man in jail does not have Pedro's glycerium in jail he is known as the president I treat them well if they listen to me and follow the rules then I help them with their problems he has been in South Cotabato jail for 13 years in this time he has become the most powerful man in prison, the reason why his rich family and wealth are both power and a status symbol.

I'm here for murdering my nephew. We were having an argument about the property and the whole family thought I was the problem they wanted. that I died too soon so they could get the land, so I saved my own life, I had to kill my nephew, it was in self-defense, no verdict has been issued yet and the president is waiting, but he is waiting with privileges that no one more Do you use your status to operate a lucrative bartering operation? He gives money to the prisoners and in exchange they give him televisions. Cellphones. A custom-made bed.

Things that are technically prohibited. Nobody messes with the president and his marshals. Even the guards leave the most important job. to the bailiffs who close the cells it is five in the afternoon and some 2,000 prisoners must be put back behind bars those who do not obey feel the blow of the club or the power of the president the system that seems to work based on respect and I fear I am the inspector general and do the prep work for the gods. The prisoners trust and respect me. So do the gods. The guards trust the hierarchy that governs the prison.

Otherwise, there would be no way to keep the mass of prisoners under control. one level below the bailiffs in the hierarchy are the cell leaders, they count the prisoners again, no one can disappear, the rookie is starting to understand how the prison works, the guards have to do only a small job, close the doors out of the cells and out of the jail, the prisoners. They spend the next 12 hours behind bars the fight for survival begins a fight for space to breathe there is no access to food or water the prisoners must persevere in one of the most overcrowded prisons in the world a prison built for 600 inmates at time three times that number are behind bars here around 70 people occupying about 100 square meters the average temperature of tropical humidity 35 degrees Celsius almost no one can sleep they just have to wait to be distracted and spend another night to survive for the rookie in an extreme situation It's Raniel's first night behind bars It's incredibly hot I can't breathe I feel claustrophobic I don't know how I'll do it The 35-year-old man has no other option He must persevere if only for his four children and his wife We are waiting for him outside .

Night falls and darkness takes over the prison. All the prisoners are behind bars, except for a group of people who are allowed to move around at night. The privileged few, the president and his entourage, in his eyes, this class distinction is. totally normal here everyone is treated equally everyone except me, that is, I have a special status but everyone else is under my supervision equality clearly everyone defines it differently one thing is for sure those who get on the president's good side escape the Overcrowding worked hard to end the trust of the gods is an unfair game in which almost two thousand prisoners can only sit and watch, but how did the prison become so inhumanly overcrowded in the first place?

The reason is President Duterte's war on drugs in the Philippines. Duterte wants to clean up the country. Drastically in six months he had four thousand drug traffickers murdered in broad daylight. The country has become a police state for simple fear of being murdered. In 2017, nearly a million drug traffickers surrendered to the police and every day the president locks hundreds of people behind bars the prisons are about to burst but the Philippine justice system is not at all prepared to deal with so many people with more than 700,000 pending trials and only 1,600 lawyers a verdict can take years in which the sentence The prisoners in the South Cotabato jail must wait in suspense.

Ronnie has already spent at least one night. The night was hot and long. It is 5 a.m. the next morning since a rookie neil still can't go out with the others he has to wait and returns his thoughts to his wife and children he is not the only one who has those thoughts here many are plagued with them, including janel berges, the man of 35 years old has been jailed for five years for carrying out a scam, he is accused of embezzlement and defrauding the clients for whom he acted. need to help his family survive so many things happened in my life I realized that this he is always very sad because we have two children three children waiting for me what would I do without your intelligent mouth that attracts me and kicks me out makes me spin head?

No Katie I can't hurt you for Janelle, it's mostly the desperation, the waiting that makes prison so difficult while he has reached the middle of the hierarchy which means he is allowed to cook and prepare food with others who bought everything. It is done under the watchful eye of the marshals of course and the president, even though knives and sharp objects are allowed, no one rations the portions but all this requires money for chicken, fish or rice or generous visitors, which is why Janelle joins some of her fellow prisoners. As they say, a problem shared is a problem halved psychologically, the situation is incredibly difficult and no one can escape the situation, above all, the rookie Ronniel is under constant observation, he is not prohibited from cooking his own food, but he has to do it.

Earn the privilege first with a cleaning beauty. At least that allows you to spend some time outside. Can you enjoy some fresh air in prison? there's no chance it stinks disgusting at least I'm outside and I can move even if the degrading ronniel at work knows he can't sink any lower he has to follow the rules because he's never alone here everyone sees it they see every misstep and every step in false is punished with deprivation of food, come on,Get up, get in line. Lunchtime at 9 a.m. It is the highlight of the day for the newbies and the low-status prisoners eat rice and vegetables the next one does not arrive for several hours and they eat in the dark cells of the South Cotabato jail a prison that is not only drastically overcrowded but It is also overshadowed by a hopelessness that affects everyone no matter where they are in the hierarchy, regardless of whether they can move

free

ly, play basketball or do anything else, it is all just a distraction, a distraction from waiting, from constant hope and disappointment, almost no one here has been convicted, almost everyone is waiting for a verdict, hearings take place every month and with them the hope persists that one's turn to be

free

will come, but the wait for a trial and a verdict It can last years, sometimes decades, if the trial ever comes, those who have been here the longest have been waiting for 15 years, a psychological tension that not everyone can withstand in five years.

Janelle has already been summoned to a hearing 23 times and each time she He has postponed every time the court was packed he wishes he could go back in time and return the money he stole worst part of it his wife is just a few feet away from him also behind bars in the women's wing as an accomplice to his fraud everything is It's my fault he is and what hurts even more is the thought of my children my wife I can't see them and I can't take care of them our children are alone when they have problems we can't help them we can't contact them I can't take it anymore Janelle and his wife are separated by less than 300 meters loveland berges is also behind bars in South Cotabato jail the reason why she is accused of having known about her husband's fraud they are allowed to see each other once a week but they almost never see their children they live too long Far away they are poor and cannot afford the trip to jail, the other women are in a similar situation to Loveland, most are in jail for drug abuse and prostitution because of the quick money and hope to somehow escape poverty, but that desperation has led them to even deeper uselessness. a desperate wait a prison in which desperation, frustration and the fight for survival coexist in the smallest possible space up to 100 prisoners at a time are crammed into cells the size of shoe boxes massive overcrowding and agonizing waiting at the daily fair privacy there is no possibility and the hope of being released is zero that is why the South Cotabato jail is one of the harshest prisons in the world it is a huge task for the guards a large mass of people that can barely be managed that is governed by himself rodrigo baludio uses the last power game at his disposal time for his so-called greyhound a surprise inspection of the cells there is nothing to see here stay away from the fence say sir and hurry up approximately once a month the cells and their inmates are Inspected by six guards each, they know they can't stop the smuggling but at least they can minimize it.

At work we confiscate everything that is not allowed in the cells and we try to find out who belongs to this person who will be punished the problem is finding the owner since no one admits it anyway the paludio team does its best every corner of the cell is searched the cell no matter how disgusting it is, here it reeks of old urine, but it's my job, this is part of the job, except during visiting days, prisoners are prohibited from having cell phone contact with the outside world tonight if we find out Who owns the phone?

They will not allow him to receive any more visitors and will put him in solitary confinement. The guards are lucky if they find the owner. They will finally have the upper hand and will be able to set an example by punishing him severely and thus gain some respect. I'm not sure, but I think he is in this cell. We will check the feedback. He definitely wants to identify the prisoner. He knows the seekers are just a drop in the ocean, but they have no hope of winning the fight. There are very few. keep all the cells under control, but every discovery and every punishment means a little more authority and one of the

toughest

prisons in the world.

Authority that Ronnie also feels as he quickly learns who he has to respect even during the only hour a day he has. spending outside is not letting him sit everything costs money even the air to breathe ranil is fleeced for every penny there is a logic in it I should have nothing more than respect for others and fear I can't stand it here and all this because I got into a fight with a Teller Ranil says he got into a fight over money with a teller while he was high and his boyfriend pulled out a knife.

Ronniel had to defend himself. I wish it hadn't happened. He would never react that way again. In the future I will have a family and every time I think about them I wonder why I defended myself why I didn't let myself be killed because I have no idea how to survive here survive that is the goal of each of the inmates in one of the most prisons. overpopulated parts of the world, some live a life of oppression while others are rulers of the prison, even today it is the day a week that everyone looks forward to and it has great meaning for everyone because everyone needs a visiting day, sir, there are two new visitors here every time. on Saturday family and friends can visit prisoners for three hours the government calls visiting day accommodation in exchange for the time prisoners have to wait until the trial officially visitors can bring whatever they want as long as it is not dangerous food money clothes and since they want much of this for the guards it is the most difficult and stressful day of the week they secretly know that they can't check everything but at least they try to find contraband knives weapons cell phones anything lethal or that provides contact with the outside world has to stay outside we try not to miss anything but certain situations make it easy to smuggle things these days are always so hectic none of us are perfect of course that's why not only are the objects searched, each visitor is also thoroughly searched. the fish and enter the cabin anyone caught trying to smuggle something will be put on a list the next time it happens the person loses permission to visit lucy and sierra visit his father in prison every saturday he has been in jail overcrowded for six months accused of attempted murder, as with everyone, it's unclear what really happened, how long he'll be here and if he'll ever get out again, but one thing's for sure: his family needs him and he needs his family .

I feel like my family love even though I'm in here they know I'm a victim they support me I'm happy they visit me every week I need my husband I'm alone with the kids I hope he gets justice soon it's a brief moment of happiness but it's still a positive emotion behind bars joy but under the supervision of the marshals and the president of course, do they maintain order or do they want to see what changes hands? At least today they are giving their inferiors a small sense of freedom, look what I brought you dad, in the Philippines, around 70 children grow up without both parents.

Lack of money leads parents to work far from home in big cities or resort to crime and criminals end up in the endless pattern of jails in the country like South Cotabato here the desire for freedom is and remains for the majority From the prisoners only a wish, visitors, gifts and, above all, money to buy everything they need behind bars to survive. Many prisoners can only stand by and watch as visiting day shows them what they don't have. Some resign themselves to their fate but Romeo Gomes tries to be creative, he carves and builds little houses that he sells on visiting day to earn at least a little money.

He himself never has visitors, not a single person has visited him in 15 years, that's all in my case. It started when I developed a good relationship with my niece we were very close and the family was happy that I took care of her until something unexpected happened we don't care what happens to you he has not been convicted in court but his family has condemned him even within from the prison walls no one wants to have anything to do with him he lives in the slightly more spacious wing for seniors and survives only on daily rations of food and begging is a daily struggle no one comes and brings me toothpaste or not I can count on no one so I go around every day and ask for things from others sometimes I also sell my food ration to get some money no one in prison sympathizes with Romeo Gomez the case of loveland berges however who was only an accomplice but is being punished like drug dealers, murderers and rapists, it seems unfair to me, useless being separated from her children breaks her heart but at least she can see her husband on visiting day, I am always happy to see him but above all I hope that every time our children come to visiting us would be a pleasant surprise, unfortunately it happens very rarely.

It's hope that helps Loveland persevere behind bars. The hope of one day seeing her children again. The meetings with her husband Janelle are the highlight of the week and yet it is always an internal struggle to forgive him so as not to blame him for her situation thank you for cooking you are welcome let's pray lord thank you dear lord we thank you for this meal thank you for protecting us in this situation always being there for us we ask that you continue to give us strength take care of our children our family protect them and us thank you for giving us so much strength amen it is strange what happens here behind bars but sometimes surprises happen even in prison um I am I am very happy to be in contact with the outside world to see my children, but seeing my in-laws is also wonderful.

I am very grateful and happy, but it is still a brief moment of happiness if Loveland and Janelle will ever be released. will he ever be allowed to go home no one knows almost none of the 1618 prisoners almost all are waiting for a hearing officially the marshal has a court appearance next month but it will be held the president has already lost hope don't even try anymore to get a hearing his powerful status gives him a good life a life that romeo gomez will never lead he will probably always be alone with no hope of being released the rookie has to accept that from now on the

south

cotabato

jail is his new home the renovation has Good prospects for a hearing soon, but whether this will actually happen and whether it will result in a verdict is unclear in recent days.

I've tried to fit in, but it seems like every day it gets harder and harder. I never would have done it. I imagined a life like this, it is above all the uncertainty that scares him so much about a desperate situation that puts dangerous thoughts in his head. I don't even think about my family anymore. There is only one thought in my head: escape, get out of here as quickly as possible, the Filipino 35 years old does not want to accept what awaits him. The most difficult period of his life is just beginning, a period in which he is alone, a life behind bars in one of the harshest prisons in the world.

South Cotabato. imprison you