PNP exploring alternative outreach program for drug users

Amid the country's lack of rehabilitation facilities, the Philippine National Police, together with other stakeholders, is now exploring alternative outreach program for drug users who surrendered to authorities.

Chief Supt. John Sosito, head of the PNP Training Service, said the police organization has already accomplished a lot in connection with the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign but admitted that much more has to be done.

Sosito said this was the reason they helped organize the two-day Rehabilitation, Alternative Programs, Intervention for the treatment and prevention of illegal drug-dependency (RAPID) Response Summit from September 13 to 14 at the PNP Training Service Building in Camp Crame.

“Kung titignan mo sa aspeto ng law enforcement e medyo malaki na ang aming accomplishment na narating, yung other sectors na lang kung ano ang dapat nilang gawin para mas maging maganda ang ating performance dito,” Sosito told reporters at the sidelines of the summit.

As of September 13, 6 a.m.,a total of 1,491 drug suspects have been killed, according to data submitted by PNP regional offices.

Police have arrested 16,607 drug suspects in the 17,799 operations they have conducted.

A total of 710,961 drug suspects have surrendered, of which 658,217 were users and 52,744 were pushers while 943,863 houses have been visited as part of Project Tokhang.

“On the part of the law enforcement, masasabi kong marami na kaming nagawa pero our campaign against drugs cannot be equated to the accomplishment of law enforcers alone, dapat rin kung ano ba ang role ng community, lalo na ang family, local government units, the youth sector, and almost all the sectors in the community,” Sosito added.

He said that among the topics discussed at the summit were different approaches that can be used to rehabilitate drug users.

“Sa dami ngayon ng mga adik na nag-surrender, kailangan silang ma-rehabilitate. So dahil hindi sapat ang rehabilitation center natin ngayon, the experts are now discussing, because meron na rin silang model sa other countries, alternative rehabilitation,” he said.

“Ito yung outreach rehabilitation na for the meantime kung pupuwedeng ito ang magamit natin doon sa naging drug user na wala sa rehabilitation center,” he added.

Sosito said not all drug users need to be brought to rehabilitation centers.

“Hindi naman pare-pareho ang antas nila. There are some drug users na ang level ng kanilang paggamit ay they can be rehabilitated outside the rehabilitation center,” he said.

Meditation, prayer

He said among the alternative rehabilitation methods are meditation and prayer.

“We will exploit all of these and through these expert people in this field, psychologists and psychiatrists, the rehabilitation experts, I am hoping that we will be successful,” he said.

“Actually sa laki ng problema natin and even the government admitted na hindi pa sapat ang rehabilitation center, we are doing our part, parang first aid lang ito kung papaano ang dapat nating gawin temporarily para matugunan ang existing problem natin sa droga,” he added.

Others who attended the summut were members of religious sectors, educators, youth organizations, and non-government organizations.

“After identification of the drug users, ano ang approaches na gagamitin, paaano nila kakausapin, more of a technical na ito. iI have to admit hindi namin ito linya kaya nga niyaya namin itong mga expert sa rehabilitation para sila ang magpaliwanag, o pag usapan kung ano ang dapat gawin,” he said.

At present, the country only has 20 existing drug rehabilitation centers managed by the Department of Health and local government units with a capacity to treat 5,000 patients.

The Dangerous Drugs Board earlier said there are 1.8 million drug dependents in the country, with 1 percent or about 18,000 of them needing in-patient rehabilitation.

Dr. Elmer Soriano of Asian Development Academy and Civika Institute, one of the organizers, quoting DDB, said “99 percent of the drug users pwedeng community-based ang kanilang intervention, meaning at the church, the community, at the barangay, out patient yun.”

“They show up one or three times a week tapos tuturuan sila how to modify their behavior para matigil na ang kanilang use of drugs. These are the mild or low risk drug users and 99 percent of the drug users belong to this category,” he said.

He said the surrenderers will be referred to the rural health unit by the local government unit.

“Yung trabaho na ito falls under the mandate of the  local chief executives, mayors and governors,  and it is up to them to activate the service delivery network, kasama na dyan yung municipal health officers, rural health units, barangay health workers,” he said.

He said the guidelines for the intervention that will be used is now being ironed out to make sure that most of those who surrender show up for rehabilitation.

At the end of the summit, the participants will be developing a multi-sectoral plan action plan and collaborative network for drug rehabilitation and prevention.

Localized version of the summit is being developed for other regions in order to create an inclusive and holistic solution-based collaboration. — RSJ, GMA News