2025 CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN
Help Aleteia continue its mission by making a tax-deductible donation.
In this way, Aleteia's future will be yours as well.
Coffee carts are ubiquitous in Metro Manila. They signal “Need caffeine? Get one here!"
However, one stands for more than just a caffeine pit stop: Ex-preso, the latest project of the Philippine Jesuit Prison Foundation (PJPF), trains Persons Restored of Liberty (PRLs) as baristas. This project is part of a holistic healing and formation program that can last up to 18 months.
Preso is the word for prisoner, so the Ex-preso name is a clever play on the word.
Coffee-craft as soul craft
The foundation's rehabilitation program begins with 12 weeks of formation, during which the PRL resides in Balaya Kiko, a transitional housing facility of the Philippine Jesuit Prison Foundation. Thereafter, formators send them for further training in parishes and workplaces.
According to the Philippine Jesuit Prison Ministry website,
“Unlike traditional livelihood programs, PJPS Ex-Preso centers its mission not on financial gains but on formation, which is a relational, psycho-spiritual, and communal journey. Here, brewing coffee becomes metaphor: a slow, intentional steeping of identity, trust, and integration. PRLs are trained to serve, but also they are deeply accompanied.”
This description shows that the work provided serves a formative purpose. The cups these men brew become as much channels of grace as the spiritual guidance they receive from their mentors and formators.
Simply put, the Ex-preso cart represents more than the cups of coffee served. It offers a path to restored dignity and self-worth.
In a televised interview, their director, Fr. Firmo “Jun-G” Bargayo, explains that the Ex-Preso cart allows both baristas and clients to see hope in former prisoners.
Making lattes as dignity-rehab
Every barista who rediscovers their dignity amid the whistling steam and intoxicating, nutty aroma of a freshly brewed cup is the measure of how much hope this atypical coffee cart brings.
Fr. Jun-G describes Ex-preso as a mobile venue that goes “wherever an opportunity for conversation would come.”
Its goal is deeper than income. It is an opportunity for its baristas to experience respect from others.
One barista shared that when he first began working for Ex-preso, he would wear a mask, afraid that others would recognize him if he worked without one. Yet, after making several cups, he felt confident enough to serve customers unmasked. The mask was his symbol for the shame that shackled him. Its removal, a visual sign of self-respect, enabled him to recover.
A second barista also shared how, through the cart, “Nadagdagan yung confidence. Nababawasan yung hiya.” (My confidence has increased. My shame has decreased.)
A third PRL echoes their experience when he said, “Laking tulong ng PJPF Ex-preso. Yung hindi ako pinapansin noon, pinapansin na ako. Mayroon pa rin kaming halaga.” (Ex-preso has been a big help. People who didn’t mind me before, now do. We still have value.)
It is striking that these men say nothing about the monetary aid received from their coffee cart. Instead, they underline the personal worth they’ve regained through their work. Albeit intangible, this benefit is more precious to them than anything material.
Below, Cardinal Luis Tagle enjoying a brew!
Loading
Reawakening their capacity to dream
Apart from the virtue-training PJPF provides their baristas, the foundation also rekindles the PRLs ability to dream for themselves, and to believe that their dreams can become reality. According to Fr. Jun-G, “We bring them to see that things are still possible. Life still has opportunities … has support from people.”
He shared that it has surprised him and his baristas how eager friends have been to support them in their advocacy cart. So far, they have been invited to bring their cart to 10 events.
Barista Anton reflected on the newfound hope Ex-preso has made possible for him, “Alam ko yung pakiramdam na walang-wala. Huwag kayong matakot lumapit sa Diyos. Maraming gustong tumulong.”. (I know the feeling of having nothing. Do not be afraid to approach God. Many want to help.)
Anton’s reflection highlights how being part of Ex-preso is mending the PRLs' relationships with society and God. The coffees they craft nourish their need to encounter fellow human beings, and the God in whose image they are made.
Ultimately, by restoring the lost dignity of persons recently restored to liberty, we honor our shared dignity as sons and daughters of God.
To experience Ex-preso in real-time
If you’d like to support this one-of-a-kind advocacy, visit their support page here: https://www.pjps.org.ph/support-us.
And if you'd like to invite the cart to one of your events, more information is available here: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pjps.to/Ex-PresoDonationPackage&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1757645119708778&usg=AOvVaw2RwW4s30kOeof5PAUfe0zx.
