The vast tracks of agricultural lands within military camps can be used to reform and turn the estimated three million drug addicts into good and productive citizens again, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said, in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to eliminate the drug menace that breeds criminality in the country.
Lorenzana said, however, that not all camps can serve this purpose since the rehabilitation of drug addicts could take years and their stay will be temporary by nature.
“It was the President’s idea [to use military camps for reforming drug addicts]. We are ready to offer the camps to him because they’re large and are secured and owned by the government. The rehabilitation of these drug addicts could take longer than expected and while they are there we can train them as ROTC [Reserve Officers Training Course] so the government can productively employ them as good citizens of the country,” he said.
The President had wanted to revive the ROTC for college students as one of the ways, he said, of instilling discipline and patriotism among the youth instead of wrecking their future through drugs.
The arrest of drug dependents and pushers since Duterte assumed the presidency has caused extreme congestion of detention facilities of the local government units and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
In the proposal, Lorenzana said the requested minimum area in military camps for rehabilitating drug addicts is five hectares.
He said the larger camps that can accommodate the drug addicts are the ones in Nueva Ecija, Iloilo, Bukidnon and Rizal.
“Those are huge camps where they can program the rehab process of these drug dependents. If they want to till the land and cultivate gardens, they can do so. They can produce their own food supply and even produce surplus for income,” Lorenzana said.
He said these drug addicts are “not inmates.”
Lorenzana emphasized that these rehab areas inside military camps can be used temporarily until the problem is solved. They [camps] will be used for other purposes by the government,” Lorenzana said.
Meanwhile, the Kabataan Party-list has opposed the revival of the ROTC which they said was tainted by corruption and hazing.
But according to Lorenzana, the ROTC must be revived not only to instill discipline and patriotism but for national security.
“We observed the number of our reservists in the military is declining. We need more reservists not only for military purposes but they are our first responders during times of calamities. We are the only country without ROTC,” he said.
The news of reviving the ROTC also elated Army chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Ano.
“It is good news and we welcome that. It is the duty of every citizen to defend our country in times of war or emergency so it is really important that all citizens of the country be well trained or at least trained by the military so that when the time comes that we need to mobilize the citizenry we are ready, that is madated by the national defense act,” he said.
“It [ROTC] will make the country better and more prepared for any eventuality and help the government fight corruption an maintain peace and order,” he added.