Byron F. Garcia, the official security advisor to the Cebu government, is credited for starting a program of choreographed exercise routines for the inmates.
Byron Garcia had originally wanted to introduce a program at Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) where inmates would exercise for an hour each day.
[1] He also claims in a British documentary that his inspiration came while watching the movie The Shawshank Redemption in particular the scene where the sounds of Mozart's Figaro flood the prison yard.
[citation needed][tone] On December 19, in an article on "Most Popular Viral Videos", Time magazine ranked CPDRC's "Thriller" fifth on its Top 10 list.
Time's stated description of the prisoners was: "Orange-jumpsuited accused murderers, rapists, and drug dealers paid homage to Michael Jackson's Thriller in a dance performance filmed at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines".
[1][11] On December 27, Michael Rama, acting mayor of Cebu City, announced that the Sinulog Foundation executive director Ricky Ballesteros informed the former of the possibility of CPDRC’s participation, but was concerned about parade security.
"[14] Ten hours after Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, the 1,500 CPDRC inmates performed a tribute show which included songs "Ben", "I'll Be There", and "We Are the World".
The CPDRC 8-minute group performance of Queen songs ends with the appeal "Peace to mankind" and a quotation from Byron Garcia: "If we make life like a living hell for these fallen angels, then we might just be turning out devils once they are released and re-integrated into society".[when?][tone][why?]
It was his last performance before he was transferred to New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa to continue his three consecutive life sentences (or minimum 90 years before parole) for a triple murder.
[19] The customized mix contained dance routines and sampling from Jackson's "Bad" in the intro, and a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. while an audio of his speech is being played.
Sony Pictures' Fritz Friedman told USA Today, "We thought it would be a great idea to pay homage to MJ on the occasion of the release of This Is It by going to Cebu and having Travis work with the dancers to create this piece which is from the film.
[25] The Governor sought the services of the original "Thriller" choreographer, Vince Rosales, to teach the dance routines inside the jail facility for the inmates.
[citation needed] On September 29, 2012, after "insistent demand" from the public, and after many months of no online releases, the CPDRC dancers returned to perform "Gangnam Style", an international dance hit by South Korean rapper PSY, in the rain.
The play was created by writer-director-composer Romeo Candido and writer Carmen De Jesus, who met while performing in the musical Miss Saigon.
"[47] The episodes were titled chronologically "Point of View", "Day One", On the Inside", "Lose Your Way", "Pak Yow", "Evermore", "Step", "Loveteams", "This Great Divide", "Breakout", "Finally Free" and Sensation".
Upon insistence of the directors, the film's first screening was held inside the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center a week earlier on June 7.
[49][50] Jointly directed by Cesar Apolinario, a GMA News and Public Affairs reporter and host and Marnie Manicad, producer-director of National Geographic documentaries, it stars Dingdong Dantes and Patrick Bergin.
The film tells the story of Frank Parish (played by Bergin), a retired US fireman and philanthropist who finds himself wrongly accused of murder of a local Filipino.
Stuck in a Philippines prison, Frank becomes friends with an imprisoned dance instructor Mando (played by Dingdong Dantes) convicted of killing a transsexual.
On the occasion of the signing of the protocol, Garcia characterized general prison facilities as "living hells", because those who are in penology and rehabilitation "are missing out the essence of compassion, redemption and restoration in jail management".
Therapeutic music and dance is meant to help prisoners cope with their depression and anxiety, improve their well-being as they go through a transition phase and reintegrate to society.
[52] A group of former dancing inmates will also tour the country's prisons for presentations in addition to a series of public performances to increase awareness to the program among the general population.