Munti inmates to go bald for Guimaras

The Philippine Star Aug 2006

There won’t be any bad-hair days for inmates at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa in the near future.

Some 10,000 inmates at the prison complex have agreed to go bald so they can donate their hair to the ongoing cleanup operations in Guimaras following an oil spill off the coast of the island province.

Director Vicente Vinarao of the Bureau of Corrections said the mass hair-cutting activity showed that the inmates are also concerned about protecting the environment.

"The leaders of particular groups of inmates were the ones who came up with the idea of hair donation to help in the cleanup of affected areas in Guimaras," Vinarao pointed out.

The activity started around 9 a.m. and will reportedly continue until Friday since there are only 10 barber-inmates attending to those who are willing to go bald or have a haircut.

Vinarao said they would immediately get in touch with concerned officials such as the Philippine Coast Guard to turn over the collected hair.

He said even prominent inmates such as former Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Romeo Jalosjos and former Calauan mayor Antonio Sanchez as well as former Occidental Mindoro Rep. Jose Villarosa were among those who willingly subjected themselves to scissors, comb and razor. The three are each serving double-life sentences.

The 14 soldiers also serving double-life sentences for the murders of former Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. and his alleged assassin, Rolando Galman, were among those who participated in the activity.

Vinarao likewise said that he will issue a directive to penal colonies in Iwahig, Mindoro, Leyte, Davao and Zamboanga to engage in a similar activity so they can have their hair donated also for the same purpose.

The disaster stemmed from the sinking of the oil tanker MT Solar 1 last Aug. 11. The vessel sank near the town of Nueva Valencia with hundreds of thousands of gallons of bunker oil.