The previous administration emphasized the reduction of the supply side of the country’s problem with illegal drugs through the sheer coercive power of the police, who killed in the process no less than 6,000 suspected drug pushers and users from July 2016 to mid-2022.
Police invariably claimed the drug casualties had fought back when they came to serve search or arrest warrants.
The shoot-first-ask-questions-later approach to the drug menace has since undergone a sea change, with the Marcos administration adopting a more nuanced approach, with the demand side getting the attention it deserves through the rehabilitation of drug dependents and their re-integration into the mainstream of society.
The good news from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is that over 300,000 drug-dependent individuals have been rehabilitated under the current administration.
“Powered by a renewed conviction that human life is precious and must be saved at all costs, the government has put a premium on preserving lives ripped apart by the scourge of illegal drugs in the form of rehabilitation, interventions and social reintegration programs,” PDEA said.
The rehabilitation efforts are part of PDEA’s move to provide assistance for voluntary rehabilitation and intervention and the creation of Regional Public Assistance Desks.
This set the stage for the institutionalization of a procedure in helping drug dependents gain access to appropriate intervention.
Last year, the government established no less than 105 Balay Silangan Reformation Centers, producing 1,854 graduates.
Since the program’s launch in 2018, a total 535 reformation centers have been created, which helped 7,526 drug-dependents wean themselves from the habit and provided employment to 2,123 former drug users.
Among the strategies for rehabilitating drug addicts is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.
This form of psychotherapy seeks to identify and correct problematic behaviors, enhance self-control, and address underlying issues like stress or depression.
There’s also Motivational Enhancement Therapy, which is designed to produce rapid, internally motivated change, by mobilizing an individual’s internal resources for positive change and engagement in treatment.
The PDEA has also launched the Adbokasiya Laban sa Iligal na Droga or ALAB, a program that empowers advocates to become force multipliers in the conduct of reformation programs.
Up to 5,619 people have joined training seminars in all provinces and highly urbanized cities.
Will the administration’s focus on rehabilitation of drug dependents stop the drug menace?
Maybe not, considering that the trade in illegal drugs means easy money for drug syndicates, that is, for as long as they remain scot-free and beyond the reach of law enforcers.
But if rehabilitation offers a way out for addicts to return to productive lives in society, then it’s going to be well worth it.