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‘Persons Restored of Liberty,’ supported by the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service Foundation Inc., work at the PJPS Ex-Presso coffee cart in Muntinlupa City on August 21, 2025. The PJPS coffee cart project aims to support them in their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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PDLs - REINTEGRATION

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

<div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175678008296220250821-expresso-coffee-cart-MD.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Persons restored of liberty supported by the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service Foundation Inc., work at the PJPS Ex-Presso coffee cart in Muntinlupa City. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA -- A cup of coffee is often the centerpiece to mark our productive mornings. It is usually made with freshly roasted beans, but more than that, it can be brewed with generosity, comfort, and hope for a better day. </p><p>That vision is reflected in Ex-Preso, a mobile café that serves not just hot lattes or iced cappuccinos but also second chances, helping persons restored of liberty (PRLs) reclaim their dignity and rebuild their lives.</p><p>With the initiative of the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service (PJPS), the coffee cart becomes a powerful symbol of transformation for those who have already atoned for their past actions. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jiVRnCyyl2k?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>An ‘unexpected blessing’</strong></div><p>Ex-Preso is the first coffee cart project of PJPS, a non-profit organization that has dedicated over 30 years to providing holistic services and rehabilitation for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) together with the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). </p><p>Behind the coffee counter are eight PRLs who were trained to be baristas. They are the first batch of the Ex-Preso project, specifically chosen for their capacity to rebuild themselves and their lack of a support system.</p><p>The Ex-Preso project is the newest addition to PJPS’ PRL CARE program (Compassion, Assistance, Reintegration, and Empowerment), which helps former detainees rebuild their identities and reintegrate into society.</p><p>For PJPS, the coffee cart is an unexpected blessing, as it was just spontaneously donated to them. </p><p>“We call this coffee shop an unexpected blessing from the Lord,” PJPS executive director Fr. Jun-G Bargayo said in an interview with ABS-CBN News. “Because this is not really part of the program. What we intend is to have a house, to be a formation house for ex-PDLs. A house that will form them into better people.”</p><p>Aside from the Laya Kit, where essential resources are provided for PRLs to use after their release, such as mobile phones and new shirts, and a capital assistance that serves as an initial funding for themselves and their families for personal endeavors, the formation house called Balaya is the cornerstone of the PRL CARE program. </p><p>Balaya — a creative fusion of the Bisaya word balay (house) and the Filipino word laya (freedom) — is a temporary home for healing and rediscovery, where newly released PRLs undergo an intensive three-month psycho-spiritual formation. It’s a place where they are prepared to adapt back to society, which is usually unforgiving and condemnatory to them. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175678003309220250821-expresso-coffee-cart-MD-8.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Persons restored of liberty, supported by the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service Foundation Inc., work at the PJPS Ex-Presso coffee cart in Muntinlupa City. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><div><strong>Coffee cart as a second chance</strong></div><p>A PDL’s struggles do not end when their sentence does. In the Philippines, stigma can feel like an invisible set of handcuffs, with many facing contempt, unemployment, and rejection as they try to reintegrate into society.</p><p>Approximately 70% of PDLs are &quot;visitorless&quot; as their own families already disowned them, said Bargayo. Without a support system, many of them are tempted to go back to their familiar patterns and end up again in prison, as they have no homes to welcome them. </p><p>But the coffee cart has nurtured them. It guides them more than just to learn how to make a coffee, but also to regain their self-worth and confidence, which had been shattered by years of incarceration and social exclusion. </p><p>&quot;Sobra itong nakatulong, itong programa na ito kasi namo-mold, na-e-equip ako na malaman &#x27;yung mga dating hindi ko alam,&quot; one of the Ex-Preso baristas explained. &quot;And naboo-boost &#x27;yung aking confidence, mas lumalawak &#x27;yung aking kaisipan, tumitibay lalo &#x27;yung aking dibdib.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Hindi ko alam kung paano ako makikisalamuha sa iba kasi nandoon &#x27;yung takot na baka i-judge nila ako, layuan nila ako, o pag-usapan nila ako,&quot; he continued. </p><p>Moreover, for most of them, the coffee cart is a chance to be reborn and experience life all over again, reclaiming their lost sense of purpose. </p><p>“Siguro sa akin po, napakalaking tulong po ng Ex-Preso kasi ‘yung mga taong hindi ako pinapansin noon, bumabalik sila ngayon, lalo na ‘yung pamilya ko,” another Ex-Preso barista said. </p><p>“Nakita nila ‘yung pagbabago na nangyari sa buhay namin bilang ex-convict, bilang PDL na ngayon ay PRL na. Na meron pala kaming halaga, meron pa kaming mission,” he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175678006031020250821-expresso-coffee-cart-MD-12.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Persons restored of liberty, supported by the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service Foundation Inc., work at the PJPS Ex-Presso coffee cart in Muntinlupa City. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><div><strong>A cup of hope</strong></div><p>Bargayo stressed that Ex-Preso is an advocacy cart rather than a business. True to its name, the project focuses on the journeys of the people behind it, serving as a movement for stronger reintegration programs for PRLs and broader societal acceptance.</p><p>All proceeds are channeled directly back into the PRL CARE program, ensuring its sustainability. </p><p>The coffee cart is their vehicle for change, gradually proving that they can be capable individuals deserving of a place in this society. </p><p>With this, the baristas have already served cups of coffee for more or less 10 events, including an invitation from the Supreme Court and the wedding anniversary celebration of Cardinal Luis Tagle’s parents just recently. The positive recognition has been their source of pride and validation. </p><p>“Positive lahat ng mga naririnig namin,” a barista said. “Actually proud pa nga po ‘yung mga nakakasalamuha namin, mga [chief] justices, first lady, may mga artista pa nga minsan na nakaka-encounter namin. Sa coffee cart, wala po kaming na-e-encounter na gano’n [stigma].</p><p>Like coffee, their lives have carried a bitter aftertaste of past mistakes. But with support, guidance and opportunity, they are discovering that life, too, can be sweet.</p><p>“Imagine if this can be replicated in different areas in the Philippines, I think that’s a beautiful gift we can offer to our country. I think that’s the long dream for Ex-Preso,” Bargayo said. </p><p>Ex-Preso is a beacon of hope, especially in our country, where the concept of restorative justice is often blurred by a punitive system. </p><p>Through initiatives like this, a much-needed community awareness is being set out, challenging a perspective many refuse to take even a single glance at: that every person, including a PRL, deserves a second chance — a flavorful beginning. </p>

<p>Ex-Preso, a mobile café run by former detainees, is more than a coffee cart — it’s part of a Jesuit-led program helping Persons Restored of Liberty reclaim dignity, rebuild lives, and find hope in every cup.</p>

Ex-Preso, a mobile café run by former detainees, is more than a coffee cart — it’s part of a Jesuit-led program helping Persons Restored of Liberty reclaim dignity, rebuild lives, and find hope in every cup.

Ex-Preso coffee cart brews second chances for former prisoners

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Ex-Preso coffee cart brews second chances for former prisoners

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern,

Jen Esquivel

Published September 02, 2025 03:28 PM PHT

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