Not Zumba, but leap of faith for drug rehab

MANGALDAN, PANGASINAN—Geraldine Junto was scared the first time she was introduced to 20 men who came from different villages in this town to attend the first of eight sessions her group had organized for drug dependents in mid-August.

“They all looked like gangsters and policemen accompanied them,” she said. “They were noisy.”

The men earlier appeared to police authorities in the course of a government crackdown on drug use and trafficking.

Junto, her three sisters, and six chapter members of the Descendants Ministry International (DMI) have offered to take care of Mangaldan town’s drug dependents after realizing that the government had no rehabilitation program for them.
But they did not know how to deal with them.

“Our friends were worried for us. They were concerned about our safety. They were asking why we had to do it,” Junto said. “But we saw their need. Who else would have the courage to love them? They have been rejected by society and as Christians, this is our duty,” she said.

That first session allowed both addicts and therapists to get to know each other.

Seven sessions later and after many more engaging and productive encounters, the drug dependents were changed men, ready to start new lives.

Life choices

The program, which DMI designed and implemented for the first time, consisted of Bible studies and lessons about honesty and life choices. The sessions were held in a covered basketball court at Hidden Rock Resort, which is owned by Junto’s sister, Zenaida, in Barangay Tebag.

After joining the program, Alvin Marzan, 39, said he found new meaning in life. “I hope I will be able to share my experience with others one day,” he said.

Marzan had been taking “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) since he was 16. He stopped using drugs after turning himself in to the police in July.

“We didn’t expect to see these guys turning their lives around this early. We expected three months or longer. But in the first few weeks they started to respond,” said Lemton Agricola, one of the facilitators.

The drug dependents were first taught the value of listening, Agricola said. Once they began to listen, he said, it became easier for them to absorb the topics in the sessions.

No shaming

“We put them in groups and they talked. We wanted them to come out of their shell because when they were high, they were happy-go-lucky, but when they were sober, they were closed, introverted,” he said.

His wife, Venjie, also a facilitator, said the program did not require the drug dependents to join Zumba exercises in a public place, or participate in cleanup activities, where they would be seen by community members.

“We do not shame them. We try to teach them about the shame that we all get in different situations. Their families do not even love them, they curse them. I think that’s a big factor, taking that shame away from them,” Venjie said.

Program funding was also an issue. Junto said her group relied solely on church contributions and donations and personal money.