Press Release
February 16, 2021

PUBLIC HEARING OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ORDER AND DANGEROUS DRUGS
ON THE DRUG REHABILITATION CENTER BILLS AND ANTI-DRUG ABUSE COUNCIL BILLS SENATOR RONALD 'BATO' DELA ROSA OPENING STATEMENT

When our children make mistakes, do we immediately condemn them and call them hopeless? Definitely not. Being a father myself, I have long taught myself to extend my patience for as long and as far as I can, while at the same time making sure that my children learn their lesson and do better.

It is clear, then, that the necessary approach to discipline must always be two-fold: first, correction, and second, rehabilitation. We do not stop with merely instilling a sense that what was done is wrong, because we must also take steps to teach what is right.

This is the same two-fold principle that guides our practices in dealing with drug users: first, correction, and second, rehabilitation. This is also the same principle that is at work in the bills under consideration today.

Noong ako ay Chief PNP, mahigit isang milyong drug users ang sumuko noong ipinatupad namin ang "war on drugs". Alinsunod na rin sa kagustuhan ni Pangulong Duterte na wakasan ang lumalalang suliranin sa droga ng ating bansa.

Hindi maitatanggi na ang salot na droga ay hindi lamang 'public order' problem, kundi isa ring malaking 'public health' problem. Hindi lang po ang pandemyang COVID-19 ang kinakaharap natin sa kasalukuyan. Kinokonsidera rin ng United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime na isang global problem ang drug abuse na kailangan nating tugunan.[1]

Katulad ng paglaban natin sa COVID-19, kakailanganin ang bawat miyembro ng komunidad para labanan ang ilegal na droga. We need all the help we can get, ika nga. Mayroon din tayong mga nakalatag na mga suhestiyon, mga kongkretong hakbang sa patuloy nating pagsugpo sa ilegal na droga. Pero para lalo nating mapabilis ang tagumpay sa giyera na ito, may ilang mga bagay tayo na nais bigyang pansin at konsiderasyon

First, there is a need for us to reduce bureaucracy in the process of admission for rehabilitation centers. Second, the insufficient number of rehabilitation centers in the country moves us to ask if the solution would perhaps lie in the establishment of drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers in every province and city. Furthermore, the persistence of the drug problem calls upon us to ensure that all sectors are involved in battling it: from the province, down to the barangay level.

We aim to shed light on these issues in this committee hearing with urgency, considering that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that around 269 million people used drugs worldwide in 2019 while over 35 million people suffer from drug abuse disorder. We need to fight this problem on all fronts, with integrated health responses to supply and demand, community involvement on prevention and rehabilitation of drug users, continuous law enforcement operations, and the possible reimposition of the death penalty for big time drug traffickers.

The proliferation of illegal drugs has destroyed families and contaminated the innocent lives of our communities. But rather than simply watching and allowing evil to unfold, we must lead our families and communities to fight back, keeping in mind that the reigning principle is two-fold: first, correction, and second, rehabilitation.

Thank you.

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