The recently concluded 17th Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards, in cooperation with Lenovo Philippines, awarded the Junior Bedan Law Circle a technology grant for its project dubbed Lingkod Laya. The said initiative aims to restore the dignity and liberty of Manila City Jail’s prisoners by helping them maintain good health while in detention and assisting in the processing of their release.
As a technology partner of the annual TAYO awards, Lenovo gave a brand-new Lenovo S145 laptop to the Junior Bedan Law Circle to convert Manila City Jail’s physical database of records to digital. The digital records encompass addressing the inmates’ health-related concerns to speeding up the inmates’ release process.
To date, the Manila City Jail houses over 6,400 inmates which is more than its ideal capacity of 1,100. It only has two paralegals processing their release. In addition, the jail lacks a centralized database of records, thus requiring the need to process all releases manually.
“As a global leader in innovation, our mission at Lenovo is to provide everyone with smarter technology that can solve problems and create opportunities. We are proud to recognize the contributions of the Junior Bedan Law Circle and to play a critical role in enhancing the crucial points of our correctional systems. As a people-centric organization, Lenovo hopes to give back to society by aiding and empowering former detainees in their attempt to attain a second chance in life,” said Lenovo Philippines president and general manager Michael Ngan.
The grant has also facilitated the Junior Bedan Law Circle’s plans to expand the project to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City and in their next venture of developing an employment system for former convicts. The organization also seeks to use the grant in their upcoming Project Ligaya, a well-being program that seeks to support children in conflict with the law at the Manila Youth Rehabilitation Center.
The Junior Bedan Law Circle is the student organization of the Legal Management Department of the San Beda University College of Arts and Sciences. Its Lingkod Laya project unclogs the court dockets involved in processing the release of Manila City Jail inmates as the current proceedings have become detrimental due to congestion.