Pinoy inmates in UAE part of 24/7 all-prisoners TV channel

Filipino inmates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are taking part in what could be a first in UAE: a 24/7 all-prisoners' TV channel.   A report on UAE-based Gulf News said the channel, which was launched in May 2011, seeks to tap into the creativity of inmates at the Al Aweer Jail. The Inmate Channel is one of over 200 channels the 3,000 odd prisoners have access to during their TV time. Initially, the channel ran for only seven hours daily, but the team follows a plan with a 24-hour broadcast schedule plotted days ahead. Some shows are broadcast in seven languages — Arabic, Hindi, English, Russian, Chinese, Swahili and Spanish. The channel provides information bulletins about who is going to court and when, and has featured at least three documentaries based on the inmates' life stories: Li Ghafla Thaman (The Price of a Mistake), Al Yathoum (Nightmare) and Al Jaeza (The Gift).   The Gulf News report said the documentaries echo wrong decisions, regrets. and the resolve to move on. An in-house studio at the Al Aweer Jail helps inmates produce educational shows, news, documentaries and other programs that are beamed to 3,000 prisoners. The channel was the idea of Ali, a 46-year-old Emirati and a former TV director who was in jail since 2003 over unpaid loans.   Rushdie, a Filipino jailed for his inability to pay a Dh74,000 personal loan, said the channel has gained increasing popularity. - VVP, GMA News