Several cause-oriented groups will hold an online summit on drug awareness on Tuesday, April 27 to Friday, April 30.
The "Philippine Harm Reduction Summit: Rethink. Reshape. Reimagine," is a four-day interactive online experience that gathers Philippine and international experts from multiple disciplines to discuss drugs "the way we've never before."
The summit is organized by No-Box Transitions Foundation Inc., Institute of Politics and Governance, IDUCare, ACHIEVE Inc., StreetLawPh, ASCORP, and Airmeet.
IDUCare caters to the "most marginalized and most criminalized sector in the Philippines society."
During the lockdown, the group also opened a community pantry for persons who use drugs, providing food packs and care packages containing face masks, hand sanitizers, soap, and hygiene kits.
The group also provides free psychosocial services and medical services, such as checkups, HIV testing and treatment and conducts workshops on drug awareness, harm reduction, legal, and paralegal literacy.
IDUCare's story will be featured during one of the sessions of the summit, according to Inez Feria, who heads the secretariat of the summit.
Lee Yarcia, of NoBox Philippines and one of the organizers, said the summit will also discuss the "intersection of COVID and drugs from the regional perspective. Questions like is there a shift in the drug supply? In the drug use? How is the community support system doing?"
"Given the punitive drug policy, as well as the health protocols required due to Covid, should we drug users in jail?” said Yarcia, a student at the fast-tracked medical education program Intarmed of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital.
Yarcia said the summit will also tackle the United Nations’ human rights report focusing on the Philippines, particularly on technical assistance to address drug-related issues in communities and how the government is complying with the human rights standards.
"The virtual summit will also feature a critical review of the country’s drug policies. With the 2022 elections fast approaching, this policy direction we are taking as a society needs to be discussed,” Yarcia said.
“We need to build a new conversation around drugs,” he added.
Feria underscored that “organic, ground-up initiatives prove that human connection is the most powerful.”