As the countdown to Christmas begins, Lucas Lepri Philippines gets into the spirit of giving by partnering with the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service Foundation, Inc. (PJPS). Together they are hosting the Bilibid or Not Cookout, a special event to provide educational scholarships for deserving children of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) incarcerated in the Bilibid National Penitentiary.
Bilibid or Not Cookout, with its catchy name, is a novel feeding program that will feature the special participation of Chefs JP Anglo of Sarsa in Manila and Kooya in Dubai, Chavi Romawac of the Baguio Mountainman Roofdeck Kitchen, and Ninong Ry of his eponymous YouTube channel. The threesome will prepare meals for over 2000 PDLs of the Medium Security Section on December 16, 2023.
Lucas Lepri Philippines is the country’s premier training center for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the martial arts of weaponless self-defense. A safe art form that employs moves and techniques, it also teaches discipline and character building. Guided by its commitment of Building Champions, Empowering Communities and Shaping Futures, its values-oriented goal is very much aligned with PJPS’ purpose.
Founded in 1994, the PJPS is a socio-pastoral apostolate for the Bilibid Prison,
the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa City. Registered the following year by the
Securities and Exchange Commission as a non-profit organization, PJPS was duly accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development in 2012.
It serves to provide holistic care and rehabilitation to the prison community which includes not only the inmates but also their families. For close to 30 years, the foundation has awarded scholarships for inmates’ children with 116 scholars on record to have graduated from college, and has 43 in college, 37 in high school, and 25 in elementary school for a current total of 105 scholars still studying.
Touched by personal stories of the scholarship beneficiaries, Lucas Lepri Philippines wants to ease the financial burden that incarcerated parents face to send their children to school. By supporting PJPS’ scholarship program, education for their children is made available which will open opportunities for them for a better future. To qualify for the program, a PDL parent needs to apply for the scholarship on behalf of their child as well as participate and undergo the training of the PJPS reformation program.
Among PJPS’ other programs is the “Give Joy on Christmas”- an annual project that brings Noche Buena food packs to the inmates since they are unable to be with family during the holiday season. This year’s activity will be extra special and more meaningful for the prison inmates as Lucas Lepri Philippines has chosen to support the Christmas project.
By hosting this special cookout with the help of celebrity chefs, Lucas Lepri Philippines will not only provide PDLs with a sumptuous meal but more importantly, help to raise funds for the scholarship program. The goal of this partnership is to send 12 scholars to school next year and start an endowment fund that will sustain the program into the future.
The Bilibid Or Not Cookout is not the first time the three chefs whip up dishes
together. They have previously guested on each other’s cooking videos on YouTube. This time the trio shares their culinary talents in the same kitchen once again to fully support friends in the Lucas Lepri family because they genuinely believe the cookout project is for a good cause. Chef JP Anglo shares that he cooked for frontliners during the pandemic as his way of giving back. He adds, “This project presented the opportunity not only to give out food but to support kids and allow them to continue with their schooling.” A makeshift kitchen meeting the chefs’ requirements is set up in the sunken garden beside the PJPS office within the Bilibid compound. Here 2,600
hot meals will be cooked and then served to inmates at the prison’s Medium Security Section following security protocols.
The culinary threesome admitted that this is a first time to cook this number of meals together as team. Chef Chavi Romawac, a veteran of thousand-meal cookouts eagerly leads the preparation bringing specially constructed cooking equipment to accommodate the volume. This food kitchen is a unique collaboration of different groups working with a synergy that highlights their creativity and strengths to make a difference in the lives of those behind bars and their families. While these chefs labor in the kitchen, there are other ways to partner with us in this initiative to rebuild lives. Guiding PDLs to the road of reformation and giving their families better opportunities is at the very heart of our endeavor. Lucas Lepri Philippines firmly believes that everyone deserves a second chance at life.
Join us to make a change for those in the corrections community by raising awareness on social media or support us with a donation in any amount. It only takes Php 4,000 to send a child to school next year. To learn more about the Bilibid or Not Cookout Project or how to sponsor a scholar, go to www.pjps.org.ph/support-us.
