Who says you can't learn anything in jail?

Several inmates at the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center were given food processing training on Thursday as part of the management's plan to build camaraderie inside the jail and to help the inmates gain livelihood once they get released.

One such inmate was 23-year-old Philip John Ebron who was jailed for a rape case, abruptly ending his catering business in Pototan, Iloilo. Ebron, along with 24 other inmates, were taught how to make pineapple marmalade, pineapple chunks, salted egg, and processed ham.

The inmates were hopeful that the training will help them put up their own businesses someday.

Aside from food processing, the IRC's management is also planning to put up skills training in handicrafts, dressmaking, and other similar programs for the inmates.

According to an official statement on the Iloilo Government's website, the Iloilo Provincial Government allocated P180,000 for livelihood projects geared especially for IRC detainees. Alicia Pajado, officer-in-charge of the Iloilo Provincial Planning and Development Office, said the activities were meant to give the inmates "a second chance."