In the morning of August 2016, a man almost begged a group of policeman from Ifugao Provincial Mobile Force Company to shoot him dead. The man was June, a local government employee, and he wanted to die knowing his killers than be found lifeless, wrapped in packaging tape, and dumped in a dark alley or cliff. He could have died from the encounter but thankfully, he did not.

June was once deemed as a responsible husband and father to his two daughters and son. He headed a municipal office and his wife, also a public servant, is an administrative officer at the  provincial government. For his colleagues, he is a trusted and reliable co-worker, as well as an active member of the Knights of Columbus.

However, behind the picture of a successful man and a proud father, June carried with him the secret of his substance abuse. He claimed, though, that he can very well control his vices and a little more indulgence with stronger recreational substance would not be a big concern. After all, he believed that he gave the best life for his family and he deserved a little reward for doing a good job and to help him cope with his daily activities.

As time passed by, his indulgence with his vices became a burden to him. He accumulated loans as high as P400,000 which prompted him to sell his car, motorcycles, other personal properties, and even his family’s domesticated animals, without the knowledge of his wife. He used the money to finance his vices which included heavy alcohol intake, gambling, extra-marital affairs, and illegal drugs — all the things he felt entitled to because he believed that he was a good provider for his family.

“Six months before July 1, 2016, I tried to sell shabu to back up what I spent when I bought for my personal use and to share with my barkada,” June narrated.

At the peak of his illegal drugs intake, June maintained a dosage of the substance two times a day.

Turn of events            

At the onset of the government’s campaign against illegal drugs, June’s life turned upside down. His family discovered his secret and they wanted him to leave. His children also pressured their mother to file for legal separation because of what he did. At work, his frequent absences in the office triggered administrative sanctions against him. But the situation which rattled him the most was his discovery that he was labelled a high value target by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and was also in the police drug watch list. At that moment, he felt he had no future left but death.

June’s encounter with the police officers made him paranoid. He always felt being watched wherever he went and assumed that there were armed men out to shower him with bullets.

Finding a way out

In September 2016, June felt a moment of relief. Notices were posted in government offices in Ifugao which encouraged drug personalities who wish to undergo rehabilitation for intake interviews at a facility called the Ifugao Reflection Camp (IRC). It stated, “The camp would be opening on September 19, 2016, and bring your beddings.”

The IRC is one of the rehabilitation and recovery centers which follows the Yakap Bayan Framework of Intervention. Yakap Bayan, led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), weaves together all existing government programs, projects, resources, and activities in order to create a holistic and sustainable approach for the rehabilitation, aftercare, reintegration, and provision of support systems for recovering drug personalities, their families, and their communities.

When June first arrived at IRC, he felt hesitant and fearful. He questioned his presence in the group of notorious pushers and users from the top ten of the drug watch list but, at the same time, accepted that he had nobody to blame but himself for being placed in that position. He was among the first batch of campers who was accepted to undergo rehabilitation at IRC.

June admitted that it took three rounds at camp before he and his co-campers became at ease with their lives at IRC. At the camp, they received lectures, workshops, and trainings from various government agencies and non-government organizations to improve their holistic well-being.

To boost the over-all health and wellness of the campers, personnel from the 54^th Infantry Battalion (54IB) and 5^th Infantry Division (5ID) of the Philippine Army (PA) taught them early morning calisthenics.

The campers also received medical check-ups from doctors and nurses from the Ifugao Health Office. The medical team also explained to the campers the possible illnesses that they may get from illegal drugs. 

In addition, policemen from the Provincial Mobile Force Company introduced them to cognitive behavioral therapy and how to change their mindset in coping with stress and life’s problems. Personnel from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), likewise, inculcated in them the importance of abiding by rules of conduct, and to seek God’s help in the face of adversity.

Moreover, there were pastors from various religious sects who gave spiritual guidance, and enlightened them on the importance of prayer and forgiveness. All of these were placed in context by personnel from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) of Ifugao as part of their promotion to sustain family relationships and to become responsible members of the community.           

June shared that among his memorable experiences at the camp was when his wife and children visited him during the series of Family Behavioral Sessions. He could not hold back his tears every time he begged for forgiveness from his family.  He also said that their visits strengthened his desire to live so he can make up for all the lies, deceptions, and betrayals he had given them.

At the end of his six-month treatment phase at IRC, June commenced his 18-month aftercare with a public apology and confession during one of the Monday flag-raising ceremonies at the municipal hall. His testimony included a confession of his illegal drug use and vices. He also begged for the forgiveness of his co-public servants, and whole-heartedly accepted any administrative or criminal offense that will be filed against him.

Since Ifugao is a place that understands the value of second chances, June’s immediate family and his superiors presented him with a list of stringent conditions that he must fulfill without excuse or attempt at evasion in order to free him from any administrative charges.

With the help of the people who continuously support him, June is confident that he can change for the better.

“I was good once at being a husband, father, and office supervisor. I shall truly strive to become that good, if not better again. Had I been in any other province rather than Ifugao, I would have been dead. I feel like somebody who met a terrible accident, but was given a second life. Truly, I am now living my second life and I dare not waste it. I’m past my terrible late mid-life crisis. Without President Duterte’s war on drugs, I would have wasted away or grew worse by harming my own family. I owe so much to the social workers, soldiers, policemen, nurses, and psychologists at the Ifugao Reflection Camp for guiding me back to the path of reality and responsibility. Life is good. Haggiyo, Ifugao!,” June ended. -30-