The Therapeutic Community is the community whose structure, daily activities and

interaction of its members are designed to promote personal change in them individually and

collectively. The therapeutic community (TC) is based on an understanding of drug abusers and is

geared to helping its members develop the skills needed for recovery. The process of recovery

involves, among other things, making an individual realize that one can get high total sobriety,

without resorting to drugs to attain recovery inside.

Recovery is far from easy. One only has to watch some TV programs to see how

often people fail at recovery after rehabilitation. People go to a rehabilitation facility and come out

of it and use drugs again, sometimes the same day or after some short period of abstinence. Some

celebrities have been in and out of their favorite rehabilitation center much like passing through

proverbial swinging door. The process of rehabilitation makes the addicts take a good hard look at

themselves and how they have been acting inappropriately. Recovery from drug addiction can be

a long-term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment. The protocol and

process of implementing a program of recovery works and has been successful with thousands of

addicts and alcoholics going to drug rehabilitation, (Substance Abuse.Com, 2008 & DOH, 2007).

A total of one hundred ninety-nine drug surrenderees completed The Crossroads, (Delos

Santos, 2017). The second batch of The Crossroads clients graduated in a ceremony held July 31,

2017 at the Diamond Jubilee Hall, Iloilo City.Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and head of

regional offices of national government agencies – Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA),

Department of Health (DOH), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA),

Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),

Department of Labor and Employment, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and

Police Regional Office-6 graced the ceremony.

 The Crossroads is a six-month rehab program for drug dependents. Dr. Bernard Caspe,

City Health Office (CHO) chief clarified drug surrenderees completed the first phase of the

rehabilitation program. They underwent legal, psychological, family, and spiritual counseling,

team-building and sports activities. For the second phase of the rehabilitation, the graduates will

undergo skills assessment in preparation for their technical-vocational trainings at Technical

Institute of Iloilo City (TIIC) in cooperation with TESDA.

Other NGAs also pledged support to make the journey to recovery of former drug

dependents easy like skills training (TESDA), training of health workers/accreditation of drug

rehab facilities (DOH), livelihood support/counseling program (DSWD), livelihood starter kit

(DOLE), among others. Mabilog said the city targets to rehabilitate the remaining 2,000 drug

surrenderees in a period of one year. The rehabilitation of drug users is one of the parameters for

a barangay to be declared free or cleared of illegal drugs.

SIX-MONTH REHAB PROGRAM

PHASE 1 PHASE 2

Legal Activities
Skills assessment in preparation for
Psychological Activities
their technical-vocational trainings
Family Activities
at Technical Institute of Iloilo City
Spiritual Counseling
(TIIC) In Cooperation with TESDA
Team-Building and Sports Activities

The two phases of The Crossroads Sixth-Month Program

Source: (Delos Santos, 2017)
War on drugs in Iloilo City

Figures indicate that from July 1, 2016 to January 30, 2017, there were 20,417 individuals

who surrendered to police authorities under Project Double Barrel. 19,087 were identified as self-

confessed drug users and 1,411 were drug pushers. The drug personalities surrendered between

July 1, 2016 to June 27, 2017. Meanwhile, 81 suspected drug personalities surrendered under the

Double Barrel Alpha Reloaded since March 1, 2017. The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO)

reported 7,487 drug surrenderees, followed by Capiz PPO with 5,492 persons. (Citation here)

The Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) tallied 3,215 drug suspects while Aklan PPO reported

1,937 suspects and Antique PPO with 1,623. Police in Guimaras also recorded 744 individuals

who were involved in illegal drugs. Of the 30 deaths linked to drugs in the region, Antique had the

most number of persons killed from legitimate police drug operations with 10. Iloilo PPO and

Iloilo City accounted for 16 persons killed, while Aklan had two. Capiz and Guimaras recorded

one each. No drug users were killed in the anti-drug operations since last year.

A total of 1,764 individuals were also arrested from July 1, 2016 to June 27, 2017. The

figure includes 1,536 drug pushers and 228 drug users. Iloilo City accounted for 593 persons

arrested while Iloilo province came in second with 470. Capiz also reported 317 individuals

arrested, Aklan with 187, Antique with 160 and Guimaras with 37. Under the administration of

President Rodrigo Duterte, the government started a crackdown on illegal drugs. The war on drugs

has resulted in over 7,000 deaths, both from legitimate police operations and vigilante-style or

unexplained killings. (Citation here)

War on drugs in the Philippines

President Rodrigo Duterte has made no secret of how he views people linked to drugs or

crime; for him, they are less than human and deserving of death. Since taking office in the

Philippines on 30 June 2016, his administration’s “War on Drugs” has borne that out to a

devastating degree. Exasperated by the illegal drugs menace in the country, he has waged an all-

out campaign against it since he assumed office. But it was temporarily suspended on January 30,

2017, when Duterte instructed the PNP to first rid its ranks of corrupt personnel. This is after some

policemen reportedly got involved in the kidnap and murder of a South Korean businessman.

Weeks later, on February 27, the President allowed the PNP back into the "War on Drugs" but

with limited participation through smaller task forces. On March 6, the PNP officially relaunched

its participation, in a campaign dubbed Oplan Double Barrel Alpha Reloaded. One hundred sixty-

two suspected drug personalities killed in police operations, since March 1, 2017. Before the

suspension of PNP's anti-drug operations, there had been over 7,000 deaths linked to the "war on

drugs" – both from legitimate police operations and vigilante-style or unexplained killings

(including deaths under investigation) from July 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017.

Summary of the Data on Campaign on Drugs

7,080 total number of people killed in War On Drugs since July 1, 2016

2,555 suspected drug personalities killed in police operations, as of January 31, 2017

3,603 victims in cases of deaths under investigation, as of January 9, 2017

922 victims in cases where investigation has concluded, as of January 9, 2017

Source: (Citation here)

 As of 6 A.M.of September 14, the number of suspects killed in police operations reached

1,506. But during a Senate probe on extrajudicial killings that day, Directorate for Operations

(2017) the figure was corrected to only 1,105 deaths. (Citation here)

Global war on drugs

Drugs are security issues because their misuse are treated as a threat to humanity –

securitized in the 1960s as explained by Transform Drug Policy Foundation (2011). Successful

global securitization of drugs constitutes one of the greatest threats to international and human

security. As a result of this securitization the market was gifted to organized criminals and, as the

market grew, so did the power of the cartels. Organized crime gangs were perceived as a threat to

nation states in the 1980s and a further securitization of the gangs took place. The effect of the two

securitizations is that global drug policy is placed “above politics” and is effectively immunized

from scrutiny. The time has come to review the outcomes of these securitizations and to compare

them with the outcomes from alternative regimes, including legal regulation. Conducting a

comprehensive global impact assessment, along the lines of the three pillars of the UN –

development, security and human rights – would assist in bringing drug policy back within the

sphere of normal policy evaluation. (Kushlick, 2011)

About 200 million people worldwide use illegal drugs each year. Illegal drug use causes

about a quarter of a million deaths per year and use is highest in developed countries. United

Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2012) as well as other published literature, estimate that

between 149 million and 271 million people worldwide use illegal drugs.

Live Science Staff (2012) studies shows that most deaths are from cannabis users (125

million to 203 million), followed by amphetamine users (14 million to 56 million), cocaine users
(14 million to 21 million) and opioid users (12 million to 21 million). Cannabis use was highest in

Oceania (Australia and New Zealand), with up to 15 percent of 15- to 64-year-olds using the drug.

Oceania also had the highest use of amphetamines, with 2.8 percent of that age group using drugs

such as speed and crystal meth. Opioid use, including heroin use which are types of narcotic pain

medication. They can have serious side effects if you don't use them correctly, was highest in the

Near and Middle East (up to 1.4 percent of 15- to 64- year-olds). Cocaine use was highest in North

America (1.9 percent).

Four broad types of adverse health effects of illicit drug use exist: the toxic effects of the

drugs (such those seen in overdoses), the effects of intoxication (such as accidental injury and

violence), the development of dependence, and adverse health effects of sustained chronic, regular

use, such as physical diseases.

FOUR BROAD TYPES OF ADVERSE EFFECTS OF

ILLICIT DRUG USE
Toxic effects of the drugs

Effects of intoxication

Development of dependence

Adverse health effects of sustain chronic regular use

Source: (Live Science Staff, 2015)

Opioids have been shown to have all four types of health effects. They have the highest

risks of dependence, which affects perhaps one in four of lifetime users, and are major contributors

to premature death due to overdoses, often in combination with other drugs, as well as accidents,

suicides and violence, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. They are also major contributors to disability.
 Cannabis causes very few deaths, though it may cause some accidental deaths, such as

those from car accidents resulting from driving under the influence. Still, it causes many users to

become dependent, and probably contributes to mental disorders, the researchers said.

Data from the World Health Organization (2012) submits there were 250,000 deaths

worldwide due to illicit drug use in 2004, compared with 2.25 million due to alcohol, and 5.1

million due to tobacco. But 2.1 million years of life were lost due to drug use, more than the 1.5

million lost due to alcohol, likely because drug deaths generally affect younger people, while

alcohol deaths tend to occur in middle-aged and elderly people. These estimates of the illegal drug

burden do not, however, include adverse social effects on drug users, such as stigma and

discrimination, or the adverse effects that drug-related behavior has on communities, such as

discarded injection equipment, violence between drug dealers and property crime. The authors

noted that most of the disease burden attributable to illicit drugs falls on problem or dependent

drug users, especially those who inject drugs.

Synthesis

Use and trading of Illegal drugs are one of the major problems of countries all over the

world. The current situation on war against drugs in the world is very horrible that have an effect

in the society and economy of a country. The Philippines is one of the countries which is affected

by illegal drugs. Rather spending a lot of money and putting persons into prison who are innocent

and sometimes being killed, the government should make effective treatments or programs to the

users of illegal drugs.