Twenty-four years ago, I was incarcerated at the medium security facility of the New Bilibid Prison for a crime I committed. Soon after, I was invited to join one of the many prison gangs offering protection – to look out for you when you were sick, in need, or bullied. In exchange for protection, the gang demanded blind loyalty!
Instead of joining a gang, I decided to be active in church. This saved me, because I met the Volunteers of God of the Focolare Movement. They visited us in the prison and shared their experiences in living the Gospel. From them, I learned how to live God’s Word in the daily routine of life behind bars. They also taught me something so valuable that it became my survival kit in prison. They taught me the “Art of Loving.”
Loving Jesus in my fellow inmates and serving them taught me not only how to survive the hardships of prison life; it also taught me how to lead. It’s true that when you serve Jesus in others, they too begin to love you back. Eventually, they want to follow you because they want to know what makes you different; what gives you peace; what makes you happy.
In 1994, I was released from prison after serving only 4 ½ years of my 12-year sentence. After leaving the prison, I was impressed that the Volunteers of God continued to care for me. Soon after, I too decided to do what the volunteers did for me in prison: to bring Jesus to those left behind.
Two years ago, I joined “Pag-asa sa Paglaya Multipurpose Cooperative” which was organized by Fr. Vic Labao, to help released prisoners and their families get back on their feet by producing liturgical candles.
Inspired by the way of life I learned from the Focolare, I wanted to share with them my corporate experience, especially in the field of human relationships. My hope was to help the community of released inmates to improve their lives, not just financially but also spiritually, through the life of unity and the Art of Loving of the Focolare.
Less than 2 years ago, I was appointed General Manager of the Cooperative. At that time, the Cooperative was in survival mode. It had been losing money because the pandemic stopped church activities.
Some time ago, a trusted salesperson who was part of our management team and a prison volunteer, was discovered to be diverting his sales collections to his bank and mobile wallet accounts. In the Art of Loving taught by Focolare founder Chiara Lubich, I have learned to see Jesus in my brother and to forgive him. So one day, we decided to visit this salesperson, unannounced, at his home. When we met him, we were not prepared for what we saw. He was very thin and weak, with terminal kidney failure. Only dialysis 3 times a week keeps him alive. Everyone saw only Jesus in him and felt no hate, but love, compassion, and forgiveness!
But God is never outdone in generosity. We faced with love all our adversities and managed to keep our candle-making enterprise afloat. This year, we achieved the highest level of sales and net income ever, and for the first time in our 29 years of operation, we are profitable, with a net surplus!
Pancio Payos
