SAVING THE ENEMY
What happens to those who surrender in the war on drugs?
by Clarice Adeva and Mia Rodriguez
he drug personalities, former addicts and pushers alike, of Barangay Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City gather together every Saturday morning to do the unexpected. On the third floor of their Barangay Hall, they sing songs, dance to exercise music, listen to lectures on religion, morality, etiquette, and in general, learn to overcome and become better in all sense of the word. This is all part of the community-led rehabilitation program offered to them by their barangay, a small project that is of a type quite rarely seen or heard of in the war against drugs.
Beginning during Pres. Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte’s term last year, the war on drugs has been riddled with controversy, to say the least. Since the start of Oplan TokHang, the Duterte administration’s solution to the country’s drug problem, an estimated 7,000 drug-related deaths have been reported. Global human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have written several reports on the grave injustices wrought by the war on drugs.
Despite this, Barangay Bagong Pag-asa, managed to create a rehabilitation program for their own community without the fear usually surrounding these projects. “Ngayon, nagkabuo-buo na naman kami, maski may asawa na sila, ayun, tuwang-tuwa sa’kin,” Mang Wilfredo said regarding his daughters, in an interview conducted after their weekly session. Mang Wilfredo is one of the 50 or so drug users who voluntarily surrendered to join the rehabilitation program.
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BARANGAY BAGONG PAG-ASA
- Mang Renato
Started by Renato Luanzon, the barangay official assigned to head the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC), these sessions consist of several different kinds of programs which aim to help drug users create a new life for themselves. A bible study, values education subject, and Zumba classes, though disliked by most of the older surrenderers but very much enjoyed by the younger, are some of the activities included in the program. Snacks are sometimes distributed when there are extra funds. Mang Renato is the one who comes up with these activities, saying that he takes inspiration from other rehabilitation programs but tries to improve them and make them unique to their community. “Nagugulat na nga lang si kapitan pero [sa] lahat naman sang-ayon [sya] basta positive. Natutuwa na lang sya, suportado lang ako, pinapaalam ko rin naman sa kanya,” he said.
Mang Renato’s program is one of the few attempts to help the even fewer drug personalities, or surrenderers as he calls them, to get back on their feet and be functioning citizens of society once more. “Kasi pinagmamalaki ko na ‘yun eh, may nai-save kaming buhay, may nai-save kami ni kapitan na pamilya, kasi hindi lang buhay masasave mo, pati family nila masasave mo eh,” he added.
Before he started the program on September of 2016, Mang Renato worked as the assistant for Bagong Pag-asa’s barangay captain. When Oplan TokHang was implemented, according to Mang Renato, their barangay captain offered him a job on the anti-drug abuse council. This was followed by a series of trainings or short courses, with local police, sponsored by the office of the vice mayor of Quezon City. He then got promoted to the Quezon City Anti-Drug Abuse Advisory Council (QADAAC) but eventually asked to transfer to BADAC saying that he wanted to be able to apply what he learned during their training courses. “Nakulangan ako. Sabi ko dun na lang ako sa BADAC, Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council, maliit ang sweldo pero may magagawa ka,” he added.
Kasi hindi lang buhay masasave mo, pati family nila masasave mo eh
Partnerships with Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) or local associations have not been initiated because as Mang Renato said, they might only use the rehabilitation program as a publicity stunt or a PR project. However, he admitted that they would welcome any help that would be offered by those who are willing to assist and improve their community-based program.
Mang Renato recalled how difficult it was to gather those whom they had visited during Oplan Tokhang. During the first session, “[Ang] um-attend dalawa, ‘yung isa nag-walk out, ‘yung isa nagce-cellphone pa,” he said. Understandably, there were some fears regarding the project especially with the number of deaths surrounding the drug war.
As Mang Renato explained, the Philippine National Police came up with a list of 586 names on their watchlist for their barangay yet did not release this to him. Although he believes it possible that there are indeed 586 people who are involved in drug use within the barangay, he fears that most of these people are part of those who settled illegally along Agham Road. The nature of this neighborhood has made it difficult for the barangay to conduct Oplan TokHang properly, admitted Mang Renato. Another difficulty to the project is the fact that the barangay had a total population of 44,426 people as of 2010, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Despite this, Mang Renato strives to create a safe place for those who had volunteered to undergo rehabilitation in his community. He asked for them to trust the project, “Suportahan nyo ko, poprotektahan ko kayo. Nangako ako sa kanila, walang mamamatay.” Through this partnership, the program grew to the number it has today of 90 surrenderees. Out of the 90, only around 40 attend every session but according to Mang Renato this is due to their day jobs, while others cannot be located or have been arrested because they had relapsed.
Talagang nagkusa na rin ako kasi inisip ko na rin eh, may edad na ‘ko... Tsaka natakot din akong mawala ako ba, kawawa ‘yung pamilya ko
- Mang Wilfredo
“Eh lahat kami na tinokhang, eto, pumunta raw kami, dito kami nagkatipon-tipon. Nagkaroon ng bible study, ‘yung ano, ‘yung... Zumba. Kaya ayun, masaya. Masaya ba, tsaka talagang pagbabago,” Mang Wilfredo recalled when the program first started in September of last year.
Mang Wilfredo is a father of four and works as a tricycle driver in the barangay. According to him, he has been using drugs since he was a teenager, Mang Wilfredo is now 54. “Mula nung nagkaron ng ganito, ng programang ganito, nagbago talaga ‘yung buhay ko,” he said.
Six months into the program and there were already big changes in his life. Mang Wilfredo happily talked about how everything changed when he gave up drugs for good. “Mula ng mapasok ako sa ganito, nawala ‘yung pag-aaway namin, ‘yung puro sigawan sa
bahay,” he said referring to his wife.
Mang Adi, is a 55-year-old driver-operator who has been attending the program since December of last year, admitted that despite being part of a broken family, the program is one of the things that motivated him to change and to keep improving for the better. “Nabibigyan din ako ng liwanag. Dati kasi akong maano kaya lang nababago ko ‘yun,” he said.
“Wala naman dapat akong ikatakot dahil tiwala naman ako dito. Syempre nangako din siya na wala namang mangyayari sa’yo,” he said referring to Mang Renato’s promise that as long as they attend and continue to stay away from drug-related issues, he will ensure that nothing bad happens to them.
Most of the attendees of the program convince their friends or other people in the community, who they know are involved with drugs, to attend the sessions with them. Like Mang Adi, who persuades some of the drivers of his tricycles to attend as well. The community’s positive reception of the rehabilitation program made it easier for Mang Renato, and the attendees themselves, to convince more people to voluntarily surrender and attend their sessions.
Mang Joel, a sari-sari store owner and a resident of the barangay for 28 years, admitted that he himself sees the rehabilitation program as an effective project of the barangay. When asked whether there have been deaths in their barangay since the start of Oplan TokHang, he reiterated what Mang Renato claimed, that there have been no drug-related deaths.
Even some of the youngest attendees are glad to have become part of the program. Ernie, who is 21 years old, regularly attends the sessions with the same friends he used to do drugs with. A user since he was 15 years old, he and his friends were invited by a cousin who works as a barangay official to attend the program and now has a job working with his father. According to him, he enjoys Zumba the most, and does appreciate the lectures given by a Born Again pastor despite being Catholic. “Wala namang maaano eh, eh kaysa naman ‘di kami makinig, sayang ‘yung pag-attend namin,” he said.
Pastor Dani Santos Miyaga leads the most stable program of the rehabilitation project. According to him, he started giving lectures around four months ago and has seen great changes. “Ang dami nang nagbago dito, madami nang nagtrabaho, nagtino,” he said.
The barangay coordinated and partnered with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to provide free trainings and courses for those who regularly attend the sessions.
Mang Adi and Mang Wilfredo are only some of the surrenderers of Barangay Pag-asa that hope to graduate from the program in a few months. The program only has one candidate for graduation as of now but Mang Renato explained that even though he no longer attends the sessions because of his job, they still regularly monitor him.
Nearly all the attendees of the program are on their way to complete reformation, guided by their community and the programs offered to them. The BADAC, supported by the barangay, plans to hold a general assembly to present those who have completely reformed, not just proven by a negative drug test result but also by a new perspective on life.
Emphasizing the role of family and friends, Mang Renato said, “Porke’t negative ka na graduate ka na. Para sa akin, ang graduate, ‘yung pagbabago, kasi alam mo kung paano namin malalaman graduate na, [...] makikita mo nga sa pamilya, at doon mo malalaman kung ang isang tao is gragraduate na talaga.”
*Surnames of residents have been omitted for security reasons