GOING BEYOND RHETORIC ON THE DRUG MENACE PROBLEM

For The Bohol Tribune

In This Our Journey

NESTOR MANIEBO PESTELOS

GOING BEYOND RHETORIC ON THE DRUG MENACE PROBLEM

In its recent pastoral letter issued earlier this week, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP} has called on the faithful to stand united in the fight against drugs starting in their own communities. The CBCP said in its pastoral letter with the title “Addiction, Freedom and Disciples.”:

“The community of the faithful should stand as one and be united in fighting this destructive menace and social evil. We must be firm in our resolve to eliminate it in our communities so that our young can live toward a healthy, productive and vibrant future, and our adults not to be sidetracked in their quest for fullness of life.”

The CBCP reminded Filipinos that drug trafficking and drug abuse were some of the “most pernicious forms of colonization” that Pope Francis talked about during his visit to the country in January. While the Catholic Church is against the death penalty, “it calls for resoluteness from the police and law enforcement agencies to prevent the trafficking of drugs; to apprehend those involved in the trafficking of drugs.”

The CBCP calls for the dismantling of the syndicates and cartels involved in the drug trade and to make sure that seized drugs are destroyed and not recycled and brought back to the illegal drug trade.  It further says: “We call for the relentless prosecution of those responsible for trafficking in drugs …”

Sen. Vicente Sotto III, minority leader and former chair of the committee on illegal drugs, was requested by the CBCP to brief the bishops on the illegal drug trade. He said that according to the 2014 report of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), 20.5% or 10,009 barangays out of the country’s 42,065 barangays are drug-affected, actually much, much lower than the 90% cited by mass media reports more than a month ago. Nonetheless the figure is quite alarming when broken down into specific barangays in municipalities most affected by the drug menace.

These drug-affected  barangays have “a determined existence of a drug user, pusher, manufacturer, marijuana cultivator or drug personality regardless of number in the area.”  The PDEA report said shabu and marijuana are the “most abused illegal drugs” as indicated by the number of arrests involving these drugs.

According to the Senator, the PDEA reported an increasing number of incidents of transporting drugs via mail  and parcel services “since detection is much lower due to anonymity and use of fictitious names to mislead authorities.”  Furthermore, utilization of various materials like sandals, milk boxes and electronic devices to conceal illegal drugs was also noted.  

In his presentation to the bishops, Senator Sotto said that less than 20%  of drug violators had been persecuted in the country – a situation similar to what exists in Bohol that while many are arrested, only very few get persecuted. A police chief has admitted that in less than two hours, a bail is posted for those arrested in buy-bust operations!

Then the Senator said something familiar to Filipinos, including Boholanos, because it has been said by politicians and religious leaders of all stripes and colors, some people in media, as well as those in civil society organizations and academic institutions although with the latter they seem to be more comfortable doing it with muffled voices and most likely shaking knees for fear that they may preempt what their respective masters and handlers will say:

“The fight against drugs will never be won if we do not concentrate on prevention and rehabilitation. Even if we collect and destroy all the illegal drugs in the country today, as long as there are drug dependents, there will be drug abuse.”

Whether the interventions are in prevention, rehabilitation or police action to take out pushers, the net objective effect will be the same - drug demand reduction, which means less money to go around for probably buying votes; donating to charities run by churches and favored civic groups; sending sons and daughters to exclusive schools; buying properties left and right; silencing or intimidating media; providing motorcycles and guns to those riding in tandem and so on ad nauseam. On the whole, the drug menace benefits everybody in the short term which probably explains the conspiracy of silence that seems to exist despite the profound damage inflicted on our way of life.

Those who read this with the assassin’s mentality should take note that I used “probably” as the operative word in the previous paragraph. In the long term if this despicable situation continues to exist in our beloved province, we will all end up as losers, both those who engage in illegal drug for short-term benefits and those who prefer do nothing about the situation.

The cynical among us will say that those who have helped the illegal drug trade flourish in Bohol can always leave the province and enjoy their enormous wealth somewhere else. Yes, but I still believe they will live with the greater burden of a bad conscience which will bother them no end for the rest of their lives. Hence, let us say to them repent, repent, repent and serve your term in jail, mend your evil ways and avoid the torture of having generations of your children, grandchildren and great great grandchildren pursued with the ghosts of those whose innocent lives have been sacrificed in your immoral pursuit of material wealth.

I am convinced that in a seemingly hopeless situation when the Government and the Church seem inept in doing something concrete and effective in addressing the drug menace in Bohol and the rest of the country, it should be the religious sector, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, who should take on this modern-day challenge. In the words we used to memorize when we were in high school, we appeal to them to stop fiddling while Rome burns!

In the words of Pope Francis, Christians should stop “spiritualizing,” memorizing Biblical quotes while all around them there is the multitude living in poverty and misery and affected more adversely by the social problems such as the proliferation of the illegal drug trade. I am sure most religions are also in the same pro-poor mind set and are ready to use their vast material wealth and intellectual prowess to be engaged in this final struggle against the powerful who make faith in God and social justice a mockery during these times and age.

It is time to stop fiddling violins of indifference and parochialism and join the multitude and rouse them up from passivity and despair and make a vital force to recreate human history truly in the image of God the Creator.

Again, at this critical juncture in our history both in the province and the country as a whole, we need faith-based organizations to lead the way to show us the true path towards liberation from the drug menace which enslaves both our body and soul. Again, I turn to Pope Francis for inspiration in this journey to translate rhetoric to action.

During his visit to a drug rehabilitation center, the St. Francis de Assisi of the Providence of God Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 24 July 2013, said the following for all of us who do not want to just fiddle while Rome burns in this drug abuse issue which affects practically all countries in the world today:

To embrace, to embrace – we all have to learn to embrace the one in need, as Saint Francis did. 

There are so many situations in Brazil, and throughout the world,  that require attention, care and love, like the fight against chemical dependency. Often, instead, it is selfishness that prevails in our society. How many “dealers of death” there are that follow the logic of power and money at any cost!

The scourge of drug-trafficking, that favours violence and sows the seeds of suffering and death, requires of society as a whole an act of courage. A reduction in the spread and influence of drug addiction will not be achieved by a liberalization of drug use, as is currently being proposed in various parts of Latin America.

Rather, it is necessary to confront the problems underlying the use of these drugs, by promoting greater justice, educating young people in the values that build up life in society, accompanying those in difficulty and giving them hope for the future. We all need to look upon one another with the loving eyes of Christ, and to learn to embrace those in need, in order to show our closeness, affection and love.

To embrace someone is not enough, however. We must hold the hand of the one in need, of the one who has fallen into the darkness of dependency perhaps without even knowing how, and we must say to him or her: You can get up, you can stand up. It is difficult, but it is possible if you want to.

Dear friends, I wish to say to each of you, but especially to all those others who have not had the courage to embark on our journey: You have to want to stand up; this is the indispensable condition! You will find an outstretched hand ready to help you, but no one is able to stand up in your place. But you are never alone! The Church and so many people are close to you. Look ahead with confidence. Yours is a long and difficult journey, but look ahead, there is “a sure future, set against a different horizon with regard to the illusory enticements of the idols of this world, yet granting new momentum and strength to our daily lives” (Lumen Fidei, 57).

To all of you, I repeat: Do not let yourselves be robbed of hope! Do not let yourselves be robbed of hope! And not only that, but I say to us all: let us not rob others of hope, let us become bearers of hope!

I must stop here and let his words sink in for our dear readers to ponder upon, Christians or non-Christians.

Lastly, I want to take note this is the end of Ramadan. I want to greet Eid al-Fitr all my Muslim friends both in the Southern Philippines and in other countries where I worked in projects in predominantly Muslim communities (Malaysia, Indonesia, Fiji, Maldives, Bangladesh).

I would like to thank my close friend, Mohamed Hilmy and his family from Maldives who visited us twice here in Bohol. Hilmy sent us an important document published by the the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), National Drug Use Survery 2011/2012, in his efforts to assist us in this current advocacy to address the drug menace in Bohol. In my next column,

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 I will discuss lessons relevant to our situation here which we can glean from the document emailed by my friend, Hilmy from Maldives. Truly in this problem which has become of global proportions, we need long, long bridge of helping hands. #Boholdrugmenace

NMP/17 July 2015/7.51 a.m.