Here Anything Goes

A few days ago while opening my yahoo messenger, the usual yahoo headlines pops up and on it was the buzz titled “Inmates dance with MJ’s choreographer.”

Once again the Cebu Inmates are becoming more and more popular and new  more people are watching them and becoming their fans. Again, a new sensation!  I salute them and I salute more Mr. Byron F. Garcia for turning them into such transformed people.

What makes me admire these group of dancers is Byron F. Garcia.   Mr. Garcia was assigned to rehabilitate and manage the inmates at Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPRDC). During his first few days, as expected from jails, riot always abounds the prison. However, Mr. Garcia studied the behavior of the prisoners thru cameras and monitors. One day, he instructed to play music in jail and one by one, prisoners are tapping their feet, moving, swaying and dancing to its tune. That is the day when Mr. Garcia conceived of dancing as a form of rehabilitation and behavioural change methodology for the inmates.

I do admire Mr. Garcia.  He not just touches lives but transformed the lives of many not just hundreds but thousands of criminals.  Mr. Byron is truly such an awesome and inspiring leader.  Who would have thought of strategies to transform people especially not an ordinary or common people but people who harm others–the criminals?  Many of the philanthropists out there normally reach out to the victims and help them move on with their lives.  But Mr. Garcia is different. He work on the cause to change the effects.  He work on the aggressors–the criminals–so there will be no or less victims of violence.  He work on to transform people by strategizing on how and what will make these people change.  Obviously, he love people and I salute him for loving and caring for the criminals.  Because of what he did, the number of people  who have the capability of  harming others are lessened.   He is one of the few good men out there.  I admire him for his love of mankind.  I admire his leadership principles. It is befitting that Mr. Garcia is awarded as one of Cebu’s Ten Outstanding Men.

I also do salute the CPRDC inmates for the efforts on their side on changing their inner selves and allowing to be transformed.

Of course, I salute too the CPRDC staff for without them Mr. Garcia won’t be able to implement change and transformation.

To Mr. Byron F. Garcia, CPRDC Staff and Cebu Dancing Inmates:
Congratulations to all of you and for a job well done. Your performance in the “This Is It” is really truly awesome. Superb! Nakakatindig balahibo! Isang karangalan na naman para sa ating bansa. Maraming salamat sa inyong kontribusyon sa pagpapaangat ng bansa.

For the readers, here’s the clip of one of their dances. This one already had around 40 Million views and still counting…This is the “Thriller” dance of CPDRC …

While this one is their newest–the one with MJ Choreographer, Travis Payne. For the “This Is It” and in the tune of  “They Don’t Care About Us” … I watch this more than five times and every time I watch it I always have goosebumps…

And this is the behind the scenes…

For the documentary about Mr. Byron F. Garcia and how he transformed the Cebu Inmates into behaved person as they are now, click the link: Documentary for Jailhouse Rock – Philippines

You’ll find more about Mr. Byron F. Garcia here: http://byronfgarcia.com/

And for more Youtube videos of Cebu Inmates performances here: http://www.youtube.com/user/byronfgarcia