No problem on war vs illegal drugs; deplorable are extrajudicial killings -- CHR
While Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc agreed with the war on illegal drugs by the previous administration, he strongly disagreed on the extrajudicial killings that happened during the operations conducted by law enforcers.
Palpal-latoc cited the statement of former CHR spokesperson and lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia who had said that the government should focus on preventing the spread of illegal drugs instead of going after and eliminating drug users.
He said the CHR believes in prevention and education on the ill effects of illegal drugs, as well as treatment and rehabilitation for those who have fallen prey to its trap.
Just recently, the CHR lamented the "stigma" surrounding substance use and addiction. Since Filipinos are mostly religious, the CHR said that they associate drug use and dependency to social-moral decay. However, the CHR warned that this mindset is an attack to human dignity.
"The previous administration’s so-called war on drugs also exemplified the stigma against persons who use drugs," the CHR said.
This is also the reason why the CHR is supporting Senate Bill No. 2276 (SB 2276) and House Bill No. 7721 (HB 7721), both of which seek to institutionalize the technical-vocational education and training (TVET) program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for rehabilitated drug dependents.
"The proposed bills manifest a shift in the State’s perspective on its view of persons who use drugs as it recognizes their inherent human dignity and that they have a chance, not only to be reformed, but to be reintegrated meaningfully into society and to thrive in their chosen field," it said.