Pubdate: Tue, 12 Jul 2016
Source: Philippine Star (Philippines)
Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2016
Contact:  http://www.philstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622

SECOND CHANCE

They were the ones who didn't end up dead. Last Sunday, 75 drug users 
who turned themselves in to the Philippine National Police began 
dancing away their vice, swaying their hips at a zumba class.

The aerobic fitness session, held in a covered court in Mandaluyong, 
is part of a six-month detoxification program provided by the city 
government alongside livelihood training for drug abusers who want to 
kick the habit and are willing to undergo a lifestyle change.

Rehabilitation can be costly especially for those who have developed 
a serious addiction to illegal drugs. The nation has limited 
facilities, whether privately owned or state-run, to wean drug 
dependents from their habit. Investing in rehabilitation, however, is 
still better than killing drug dependents. The favorite story of cops 
- - that drug suspects were killed because they tried, even while 
handcuffed, to grab their police escort's gun - stretches credulity 
and insults the intelligence of the public.

For sure there are genuinely hardened, notorious drug traffickers who 
have committed murder, corrupted public officials and ruined lives. 
They are unapologetic about their life of crime, and several continue 
to run their lucrative drug operations even while held at the 
supposedly maximum security compound at the New Bilibid Prisons. 
Confronting these threats may require drastic measures.

But a number of those killed since May 10 appeared to be minor 
pushers or mere drug users, whose common denominator was their 
poverty. Drug abuse is a complex social problem that calls for a 
multipronged approach, with tough law enforcement complemented by 
aggressive efforts to fight poverty and provide legitimate livelihood 
opportunities.

President Duterte's landslide victory indicates public support for 
his campaign promise of dealing harshly with criminals, particularly 
drug traffickers. But because lives can be lost and there's a strong 
possibility of abuse and fatal mistakes, this kind of campaign 
requires restraint in its implementation.

Life is precious. As the nation is seeing in mass media, those who 
have been killed in recent weeks left behind bereaved families - 
weeping parents, spouses and children, professing the innocence of 
the dead or bewailing that the punishment did not fit the crime.

While the President and other people may think drug dealers deserve 
to die, there are also many drug suspects who deserve a second 
chance. Mandaluyong has the right idea. Rehabilitation can start from 
something as innocuous and fun as zumba.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom