The National Significance of Irene’s Sudden Death

The mother of two young men and the wife to a busy TESDA personnel, Irene Sagrado Tabada was an official of the Department of Budget and Management’s Regional Office here in Davao City. This was her official and time-consuming job but mostly indoor.

Outside DBM Irene’s religious faith got her involved as a lector in San Pablo Parish liturgical ministry and in the Archdiocesan Commission on Prisoners Welfare ministry in the Davao City jail. Both involvements gave her new friends and supporters, and a new social consciousness.

This ministry, which I established several years ago, could not get adequate and sustained involvement and support from our clergy, religious and laity for reasons so difficult to understand. Irene’s entry into this ministry was a new impetus.

She became so passionate with this way of helping the spiritual, moral, health, psychological, legal and family needs of the female and male inmates of the city jail that mysteriously called the attention of many people, even of non-church groups. A few times she complained about the difficulty in having Holy Masses inside the jail and donors for her fund-raising project – The Musical Concert by the prisoners.

Her deep faith is beautifully expressed in the words she posted in the Facebook on December 17: “Christians who come into prison are tangible expression of God’s love…People who serve in prison actually serve Jesus.”

Her early Christmas greeting said: “A blessed CHRISTMAS to all who shared their songs, time and gifts for our “Panaygon sa Preso” and “Wish ko lang.” It was actually JESUS whom you sang for and offered gifts to…”

A friend and admirer said in an email to me that Irene’s sudden death has a “national significance.” Why, she didn’t say. But it is easy to speculate.

Davao City Jail is a microcosm of the problems of our society and government! Irene’s calm premonition and announcement of her impending death was shocking but it called attention to the city jail. So was the deluge of prisoners’ tears that demanded Irene’s coffin brought inside the jail.

And hundreds of people who attended her funeral Mass concelebrated by 14 priests and three bishops cannot fail, hopefully, to call attention to the worsening and inhuman situation of city jails around the country brought about by the war on drugs and the system of governance that allows it to happen.