Sen. Risa Hontiveros. INQUIRER.net file photo / CATHY MIRANDA
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday made some suggestions that may help Vice President and anti-drug czar Leni Robredo to succeed in her public-health approach to win the government’s war against drugs.
“Hindi ito contest kung sino ang may pinakamaraming pinatay. Ito ay tungkol kung ano ang pinakamagandang istratehiya na magkukulong ng pinakamaraming druglords at sasagip at rereporma sa pinakamaraming buhay,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
(This is not a contest on who kills the most number of people. This is about the best strategy on how to jail the most number of drug lords, and save and reform the most lives.)
During her meeting with the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), Robredo said that the drug problem should be approached as a “medical and sociological problem,” and not just of a criminal issue alone.
READ: Robredo to ICAD members: Let’s go beyond our differences
The senator added that addiction is a “health issue,” and that big-time drug pushing is a “serious crime.”
“On the demand side, we need to push for the implementation of a barangay health and rehabilitation program,” Hontiveros suggested.
Supporting her suggestion, Hontiveros elaborated some key areas that Robredo could consider as a public health approach. This includes the creation of “recovery courts” to help drug dependents become and remain drug-free.
“On the supply side, a modern, rights-based drug law enforcement which will focus on big drug lords and syndicates is needed,” Hontiveros said. Under this approach, among her suggestions was the internal cleansing of law agencies “to ensure that they are not infiltrated by elements corrupted by drug syndicates.”
“We need to replace the government’s ‘kill, kill, kill’ policy with a 4Ks approach namely: kalusugan, kapulisan, katarungan at komunidad (health, security, justice and community)” Hontiveros said.
“Ito ang mga sentrong programa ng isang public health approach na lulutas sa problema ng ilegal na droga (These are the central programs of a public health approach that will solve the problem against illegal drugs),” she added.