Sid Lucero on gov’t’s war on drugs: ‘There are people who are willing to recover’

Hati ang opinyon ni Sid Lucero sa kampanya ng gobyerno ngayon laban sa ilegal na droga.

Bilang isang aminadong indibidwal na gumamit ng ipinagbabawal na gamot, sinabi ng "Alyas Robin Hood" actor na pabor siya sa pagpupursige ng pamahalaan ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na puksain ang problema sa ilegal na droga.

Ngunit kailangan din daw pagtuunan ng pansin ang mga naging biktima nito.

Saad ni Sid, “It's not news that I've had my own problems in the past. I, to a certain extent, agree to what is happening. But I would like to, you know, put into consideration that some people who have some problems with it, for example, like myself."

“It's not a criminal offense to be an addict, e. It's a clinical problem. I think when people take this into consideration... Kasi step one naman, 'yan, e."

“Step one is to get rid of the roots. Step 2 is to take care of the victims.”

Sabi pa pa niya, “Get rid of the ones creating this problem, but make sure to cradle the ones who have been tumbled on.”

Ayon kay Sid, importante pa rin na igalang ng awtoridad ang karapatan ng mga mamamayan sa kabila ng kanilang maigting na pagsasagawa ng kampanya laban sa ilegal na droga.

“I think it's important that the Philippines is going through this. But at the same time, we have to be aware of our rights. Although they have reason to go door-to-door, it's still a violation to our rights, like, to keep our door closed."

“I think in the future, they'll find a way to meet halfway, to take care of our own people. I don't think putting down people is the right thing to do."

“Siguro kung talagang salot ka talaga, pati mga estudyante ginagawa mo nang adik, siguro hindi ka na kailangan.”

On list of celebs linked to drugs

Sa naturang panayam, tinanong din ng PEP ang opinyon ni Sid tungkol sa listahan ng celebrities na diumano'y nali-link sa ilegal na droga.

Aniya, “Well, I understand where it's coming from because we're public people. I mean, whether you're a director or an artist, you have the power to have the children look up to you."

“If they found out... For example, hypothetically, bigla na lang itong si Pepe natin sa Alyas Robin Hood, who the young people look up to, we found out taking drugs, that's not good! He's supposed to be a role model, right? So, I think they're going about it the right way.”

Pero nilinaw ni Sid na dapat maiwasan ang panghuhusga ng mga tao sa mga indibidwal na makakasama sa listahan ng gobyerno.

“But I really think that we should not ostracize the victims of this because it's not an easy thing. I come from there. I've had talks. I'm still in recovery. It's a lifetime disease.”

Nakakabahala rin daw ang madaling panghuhusga ng mga tao sa mga indibidwal na nalulong sa droga.

“It is alarming. I'm not familiar how the government is working right now. But it seems like, sa unang tingin pa lang, the government has carelessly given the people, the authority, even the neighbors, to have the power."

“Now we have been given power to complain and do something about our neighbor, who isn't helping the community positively, right? That can go wrong, e."

“Tingnan mo, we're a community of hearsay. Mahilig tayo sa tsismis. Kapag may lumabas sa radyo, automatically, totoo ba ang ganito? Then, huhusgahan mo agad yung tao without proper proof. I think it's dangerous."

“As a Filipino, I think I am concerned. But as an individual, not as much as I have a couple of years back, kasi okay na ako, e."

“I really think more than anything and more importantly, as an addict, I want to say that there's a better way to take care of our victims. We are victims. Think about it, the reason why there's so much people hooked on these things because the government has failed to take care of its own people, we are victims.”

Dapat ay alalahanin din daw ng pamahalaan na may mga indibidwal na gustong magbago.

“Like, for me, my recovery was easy because I have my job, I have the support of my family. But what about the normal Mang Jose, na hindi naman siya puwedeng tumira ngayon kasi may trabaho siya bukas? E, tatlong taon na siyang ganun. Paano na 'yan?”

Diin pa niya, “There are some people who are willing to recover and who just don't have the capacity or tools to get better. I think one day we'll get there.”

Iminumungkahi ni Sid sa gobyerno ang paggamit ng military-style rehabilitation para matulungan ang mga nalulong sa ilegal na droga na magbago.

“I don't know where the government's at, e. The problem is they look at us as criminals—we break the law, we kill people, we rape people because of our problem."

“But the truth is it's a medical problem. I know it costs money but a military-style rehabilitation center will work. Dig a hole, plant a tree for more than three months, okay ka na. You just have to find something worth holding on to about yourself.”

Thankful

Aminado ang 35-year-old actor na kahit mahigit dalawang taon na siyang “cleared” sa paggamit ng ilegal na droga, kasalukuyan pa rin siyang nasa recovery stage.

Malaki raw ang pasasalamat niya dahil naging matibay ang suporta ng kanyang mga kamag-anak at kaibigan.

Paano nagsimula ang pagbabagong-buhay ni Sid?

Sagot niya, “I only tried to fight it siguro mga three or four years, when my daughter was born. It started affecting my career, it started affecting everything else.”

Sabi pa niya, “I love my job, I love my daughter, and now I love Jiu-Jitsu. Now, if I keep on going down that same lifestyle, I'll lose all of it."

“My daughter doesn't live with me, I had a two-year break before the show [Alyas Robin Hood], I'm still struggling to keep my funds of load, siyempre two years kang walang trabaho, di ba?"

“There are people under me, I'm paying rent, I'm paying for my car, my daughter has school now. Plus Jiu-Jitsu, hindi ka naman puwedeng mag-Jiu-Jitsu nang basag-basag, e. Maaksidente ka.”

Sabi ni Sid, importante na buo ang loob ng isang indibidwal na magbago.

“What really got me out of it was not counseling, not prayer, not really my family. It was really my own doing—getting into Jiu-Jitsu, sweating all out, change of lifestyle talaga. I really believe that sweating it out and really building your body will help you fight it.”

Nakatulong din daw na mas naging focused siya sa trabaho.

“Actually, when I first did counseling, they found out that my job was actually therapeutic to me. When you're in recovery, you're not supposed to go to work, 100 percent ng utak mo nasa recovery lang."

“But my counselor found out that my job was therapeutic so he let me did it. I think I was one of his patients who tried working while recovering. It was working for a while, pero nagpatung-patong na yung trabaho, so nag-decline na ako, I kinda fell back into it."

“But I have people looking up to me. I have so much to prove to myself. And when I go home, I don't want to let down people. So, being at work, like I'm talking about it with you guys, keeps me afloat.”

Change is possible

Sa kabila ng pagbabago, ayon sa Kapuso actor, panghabambuhay ang magiging recovery niya mula sa ilegal na droga.

“It's lifetime. I've only been cleared for two and a half years. I've been struggling with the battle. Then, I changed my lifestyle."

“Now, people are inviting me to talk on behalf of drugs and things like that. At least, there's something good that came out of it.”

Dahil sa kanyang pinagdaanan, masasabi ba ni Sid na malaki ang posibilidad na magbago rin ang iba pang mga nalulong sa droga?

Nakangiti niyang sagot, “Yes, I believe it. Pero don't take my word for it na, 'Yeah, I'm 100 percent clean.' I cannot because, like I said, it's a lifetime process. It's like a death sentence, a life imprisonment, I'm gonna be dealing with this forever."

“It's just getting easy and at the same time it gets harder and harder every day.”

Kung sakali, kampante naman daw si Sid sa sinasabing listahan ng celebrities na nali-link sa ilegal na droga.

Aniya, “I know what I've been through, I know what I've done, I'm not gonna lie about it, and I know that I don't do it anymore. So, if sumabit ako sa list or whatever, I have people to back me up."

“I've spoken in front of 5,000 students saying all these and how Jiu-Jitsu saved my life. If it happens, maybe I can be a voice to people who are going through the same thing as me. Only good can come out of that, e, at least, kung madamay ako in any way.” —PEP

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