Rehabinasyon program D30 policy is not to kill drug users—PCOO exec

DUMAGUETE CITY,, Philippines — "Ang polisiya ni Presidente Rodrigo Duterte, dili 'kill, kill, kill,' kon dili 'life, life, life."

This was what Assistant Secretary Ramon Cualoping III of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) reiterated to members of various sectors in Dumaguete City during a Town Hall meeting, where the government’s latest program, "Rehabinasyon," was introduced to combat illegal drugs.

Cualoping was in Dumaguete on Saturday, along with other national and local officials of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), for an information drive on Rehabinasyon.

With the PDEA as chair, Rehabinasyon is the project of the Interagency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), created under President Duterte's Executive Order No. 15, which he signed March last year.

Cualoping also blasted criticisms from the opposition about the government's alleged inaction over illegal drug cases.

"So far, there are 1.4 million drug surrenderers. No other country in the world has had 1.4 million drug surrenderers tungod sa Tokhang. That itself is a success. There are 1.4 million Filipinos who are willing to change and undergo transformation," he said.

Rehabinasyon aims to focus on "real numbers" and "real stories" from the government's anti-drug campaign. In line with this, Cualoping further lambasted critics for their statistics on alleged extra-judicial killings (EJKs).

"Sige silang ingon naay EJKs. Mga 13,000, 7,000, naa pud 14,000 daw ang gipangpatay. Akong pangutana, asa nila gikuha ang numbers? Kinsa ang gipangpatay?" asked Cualoping, who also hails from Davao City.

He also explained ICAD's functions: Enforcement, justice, rehabilitation and reintegration, and advocacy, adding that Rehabinasyon's aim is not to ignore drug users, but to rehabilitate and reintegrate them into becoming active members of the society again.

Rehabinasyon is based on the DDB's five programs against illegal drugs: Supply reduction, demand reduction, alternative development, civic awareness and response, and regional and international cooperation.

"The government won't spoon-feed. Its role is to enable the citizens to help themselves to become better. Because the government should give the mechanisms for people to help themselves," Cualoping added.

PDEA Director Derrick Carreon and DDB Undersecretary Benjamin Reyes, among others, also explained their functions and initiatives to help in the government's anti-drug campaign under Rehabinasyon.

Dumaguete was the second stop of the PCOO's information drive on Rehabinasyon, which first started in Quezon City.