The livestream was full of smiles when Rico and Karla welcomed Karen Bordador to the show on August 31, Tuesday! Tons of listeners and fans came to support Karen through the comments and express how much they’ve missed seeing her and hearing her voice on radio. Karen, too, was giddy and excited to be back on the airwaves and tell everyone about what life has been like since 2017. The livestream was full of smiles when Rico and Karla welcomed Karen Bordador to the show on August 31, Tuesday! Tons of listeners and fans came to support Karen through the comments and express how much they’ve missed seeing her and hearing her voice on radio. Karen, too, was giddy and excited to be back on the airwaves and tell everyone about what life has been like since 2017.

Karen explained that when she was arrested, she was detained for three months, and then was given the choice to be transferred to a prison in Bicutan where she would be considered among the “high profile,” or to Pasig City Jail. She chose the latter, saying she wanted to experience the “normal prisoner life.” The gravity of her situation hit her hard once she stepped into the jail and saw all the security. “This was the most interesting part, I will never forget,” she said. “The head mayora that time looked at me then she said, ‘Welcome to the animal planet!’” It took her aback, but still Karen was confident she could deal with it!

In a cell that’s typically only made to hold thirty-five people, Karen was cramped with eighty to ninety women! She said that her bed was just a little smaller than a yoga mat, and was so close to the ceiling lights that she could practically sunbathe. But she couldn’t be choosy, so she adjusted.

A typical day inside would consist of a 6AM wakeup call, followed by a 7AM community program meeting for the women inside to talk about values, their missions, and how to correct mistakes they might have made in the previous days. After lunch, they would have programs or activities that would usually keep them busy and entertained before dinner. “Inside, they really push you to be talented,” Karen told Rico and Karla. “If you don’t sing, you’re gonna sing. If you don’t dance, oh, you’re gonna dance! You’re gonna end up realizing, oh I’m talented pala!”

After about a year of Karen being inside, their cell’s “mayora” (coordinator) was leaving and they had to elect a new one. Many of Karen’s cellmates started to vouch for her. ““They kept saying they were gonna vote for me, cause I was really nice inside! I wasn’t stuck up or whatever,” Karen explained. “And also my mom kept contributing!” In the end, she got 90% of the votes and became the new mayora, which turned out to be a big responsibility! “You take care of everything that happens to your cell. You have to make sure everyone’s following [the rules],” she said. Basically, if someone in your cell gets in trouble, you’re in trouble too. “You carry the weight of every single person’s problem.” So, Karen did her best to alleviate people’s problems so that situations wouldn’t escalate.

Aside from keeping things in order, Karen was also amazing at making sure everyone inside entertained! During their mini events, Karen was very involved with planning and hosting the program. “After a while I stopped hosting, kasi I was thinking, I want the other girls to do it. So I taught them. I even made them scripts!” We love knowing that she brought her career experience and shared it with others! She would also be the one to convince their officers to let them watch certain movies or series on the TVs provided by the government. “I tried as much as possible to contribute to the entertainment.”

When it came to special occasions like birthdays, Christmas, and New Year, they had their own way of celebrating, too! They would organize events to celebrate the special day, and would have to have all their activities planned out for the warden to grant them permission. Karaoke singing, dancing, games, and food! “All you want is to make people happy,” Karen explained why the effort to have a fun event was so worth it. “On that one day na hindi mo kasama family mo, at least ramdam mo sa loob na you’re celebrating. Kasi everyone inside, you call them family.”

Fortunately for Karen, her family remained very present in her life even while she was inside. She spoke about her mom, who would visit her regularly, give generous donations, and even provide bilaos of pancit for everyone to share on Karen’s birthday. For Karen, it was a true sign of her mom’s unconditional love. “That dedication was such a big deal, na I know I owe it, not just to her, but to my environment. That’s how you should treat people; with so much love.” It meant even more to Karen, because before being in jail, she lived independently, so she didn’t get to spend as much time with her family. The last five years really brought Karen and her mom even closer together than before! “My mom was the center of my jail life!”

We can only imagine how hard it was for Karen and everyone inside when the pandemic hit and visits were halted! Karen talked about their reaction to the news about COVID, and what they were thinking: “We’re locked in, we’re safe. Everyone’s being zombie-fied outside! What if tayo na lang yung matitira sa mundo!” But all jokes aside, the pandemic has been a hard period for those in prison, too. No visits and no aid from their family and loved ones outside, plus, many hearings got delayed, which meant some people’s sentences were extended even more. “Patience was key,” Karen said.

When Rico asked Karen what kept her going during her time inside, she said, “If I’m gonna be here, I’m gonna make sure na it’s gonna be a colorful temporary moment for me.” She was used to being in such a busy industry for so long that eventually she realized she had lost some of the “fire” and creativity she had when she started out. So she spent this time to find that fire again and spark her creative side. “I’ve always been a dreamer, I’ve always been the type to push my friends to be positive. So why shouldn’t I do that for myself?”

During their daily meetings about values and mission, Karen realized, “God really wanted me to see what was happening inside. And in terms of changing, there are habits I changed. Prioritizing certain things, letting go of non-necessities.” The experience also opened her eyes to how she deals with other people. “I learned how to be open to every single kind of personality,” she said. “You’re really gonna start understanding people. I stopped caring about who they are, basta just let them in. So now I’m not gonna be choosy about who I talk to. Everyone’s the same to me! We’re all equal.”

Karen took all these life lessons and a new mindset to heart, ready to start again once she was out. And that day came on June 15 of this year – Karen was finally acquitted! Although she’s got a lot of things to get used to (QR codes? Livestreams? Netflix?!), she has a lot of plans in store for her future.

“It’s gonna be a lot of storytelling on YouTube, and I’m gonna get back into social media,” Karen said about her plans in the near future. She’s eager to share what she’s seen and learned, so that hopefully her audience can learn from it, too. Plus, she has new advocacy to work on! Now that she’s experienced firsthand what goes on inside a jail cell, she’s determined to help those inside get the justice they deserve. “Buti na lang when I started posting, there were people telling me, ‘We wanna help you out.’” She’s now in contact with some lawyers who are willing to work with her pro-bono. Amazing!

She also shared a message of hope and positivity for all those having a hard time dealing with isolation in lockdown: “You gotta do everything that it takes to get back on track. It starts with you! The world will not change. Take it upon yourself to find ways to become a better person in a situation of crisis. Take it as a challenge, na hindi ka babagsak dahil sa sitwasyon na bumabagsak ang lahat. Make a difference, ikaw yung aahon. And at the same time, you’re gonna carry a lot of people with you.”

As Karla said, this is a redemption story, a rebirth story we need to see! Stay updated with Karen and all her future plans on her social media pages:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenBordadorOfficial/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Karen_Bordador

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/shyetmen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karen_bordador/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@karen_bordador