Pubdate: Sun, 26 Jun 2005
Source: Daily Tribune, The (Philippines)
Copyright: 2005 The Tribune Publishing Co., Inc.
Contact:  http://www.tribune.net.ph/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2973
Author: Louie Logarta
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Philippines

THEIR BEST MAY NOT BE ENOUGH

It is sickening to say the least but millions of addicts throughout
the country are destined to live miserable existences and probably die
slow, painful deaths due to the apathy and uncaring attitude of
certain government officials - who are probably more preoccupied with
their own selfish interests - which can be gleaned from their
lethargic response to pleas from concerned authorities for the release
of funds that are badly-needed if any headway is to be made in
addressing the country's ever-expanding drug malaise.

During the recent drug summit held recently in Makati City, officials
of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Administration (PDEA) and the
Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), the two agencies at the forefront of our
anti-illegal drugs campaign, made the woeful admission to more than
1,000 participants coming from local government units from Metro
Manila as well as adjacent provinces and other non-government
organizations that they have ahead of them a long uphill struggle
because they only have at their disposal meager resources, compared to
the considerable war chest of the drug syndicates that are estimated
to be earning about $5 billion yearly from their illegal operations in
the country.

Here are some of the statistics. According to PDEA's Anselmo Avenido,
there are only 63 drug rehabilitation centers operated by the
government and the private sector (including the Seagulls Flight
Foundation being run by former DARE patient Eddie Castillo and
National Press Club director Jerry Yap) that have a total live-in
capacity of around 10,000 persons.

The thing here Avenido said is that there are an estimated 3.4 million
users, abusers and dependents of illegal drugs in the country today
(Cebu Rep. Tony Cuenco, chairman of the House committee on illegal
drugs says nine million is more like it) from only about 20,000 in
1972, of which some 1.8 million have been classified as "regular
users," or addicts if you will.

Now crunch the numbers. Even assuming that only 5 percent of the 1.8
million confirmed addicts, or 90,000, submit themselves to the
rehabilitation process, which is quite prohibitive these days due to
the exorbitant prices of food, medicines and light and water, a great
majority will have to be turned away simply because there is no space
for them to be accommodated by the rehab facilities.

Republic Act 9165 or the new Anti-Drugs Law which was approved by
Congress in 2002 had envisioned the establishment of 79 drug treatment
centers or one per province, but this was unwisely pared down to 13 or
one for each of the country's regions by President Arroyo who claimed
there were no funds available (?) for the purpose.

What's worse, up to now, only a total of P150 million has been
released by Malacanang from the P1-billion stand-by fund that had
already been earmarked to combat the flourishing illegal drugs trade
that has infected around 10 percent of the country's 42,000 barangays.

We should all commiserate with Avenido, who heads the PDEA, and Gen.
Dionisio Santiago of the DDB because both are in a no-win situation,
and their best may not be enough. They are hopelessly pitted against
billionaire drug lords whose yearly earnings total about one-tenth of
the Philippines' gross national product. 
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