♣ Life at Home by Sarah V. Luares, Edwin Pedorio, Marissa Obrero
♣ Starting Young by Pedro Catolico, Reina Liz Urbano
♣ Street Children: Voices We May Never Hear... by Ryan Alvin O. Mercado, Leizel Nacario
♣ Students Who Toil by Madonna Menla, Michelle Olaño, Robert Caezar Fausto
♣ The Faces Behind Drug Abuse by Ian Jasper Balingbing
♣ SILENT SANCTUARY by Sheila Marie A. Berja, Jessica O. Saraza
♣ Brief Barangay Profile: San Juan, Canaman, Camarines Sur by Christofferson Dante, Edwin Pederio, Raquel Tapalla, Michelle Baron, Angelo Bocacao
Hinuhà Vol. 4: Path of Endless Hope
Hinuhà Vol. 3: Faces of the Informal Sector
Hinuhà Vol. 2
Hinuhà Vol. 1: More Bicolano Families Cannot Afford Proper Food
ince the dawn of ages, humans have discovered and innovated in order to satisfy their needs and wants in life. In certain cases, the discoveries and innovations have had terrible effects on their well-beings. Drug Addiction is one example of this innovation gone wrong. Drugs are made primarily to prevent and treat diseases. However, it has been abused, shattering the lives of those who do so.
Drug abuse presents one of the most serious dangers confronting the Filipino Youth today. It is currently estimated that there are two million drug dependents in the country, and more than half of them belongs to 15-27 age group. In local level situation is such that drug use is equally grave. This incidence of drug use is considerable cause of criminality. To note the incidence of criminality in the local level is correlated to the incidence of drug use. In Naga, The Philippine National Police do not have the estimated number of drug dependents but there are about 57 percent of the crimes reported in Naga are drug-related. These largely include rape, murder, and robbery. There are already 38 apprehensions of drug related cases in Naga from January to August of 2003. Also the PNP in Naga reports that the most common used drugs in the city are shabu and marijuana.
Aside from the presence of risk factor associated with drug abuse such as poverty, and lack of education, family problems and peer pressures aggravate vulnerability to drug abuse.
Lacking the care, guidance, and love for his parents, that has he longed so much for, Ramon ended up using illegal drugs. He is 19 years of age; and he first experienced using shabu when he was only 14. He decides to use drugs because they relax his body and make him forget his problems - he has no parental support because of lack of communication between them. His parents work in Manila while he studies here in Bicol. He does not have his parents to turn for comfort, guidance and company when he needs them because they are too busy with their work. He started to feel that he was no important.
Ramon use shabu almost and often with friend whom he has found the company and attention he longed for. With his P100 daily allowance, he has much to spare drugs, which also include marijuana and valium. High on drugs, he experiences euphoria and forget the bitterness of his life. He feels he does not have any problem at all. He is now highly dependent on drugs to get by his daily life.
Friendship has led Ching to using illegal drugs. He was 14 years old when his friends first introduced him to illegal drugs. Since then Ching now 26, has been hooked. He buys illegal drugs with his daily allowance from his parents. He spends from P200 to P500 pesos each time he buys drugs.
Eventually, his parents came to know that he is into drugs. Naturally, they became mad at him. He wants to stop and concentrate on his studies, but his friends lurk around, tempting him to use drug again.
Ruby first used illegal drugs out of curiosity. When he was 15 years old, she had been asking her friends. "What is that? Does it taste like...? Would it get me high?" Another reason was that in the company of her friends who use drugs, she did not want to be branded as weakling, fearing being called "maluyahun ka man." (You are so weak). She also wanted to be considered "in" by her circle of friends. Once hooked bought drugs with her allowance and sometimes, she borrowed money from friends.
When her parents found out that she was using drugs, she became ashamed of herself. She decided to quit, believing that was the best. She realized that drugs would do to her no good and only ruin her life.
Similarly Tusok started to use illegal drugs with the influence of his friends and classmates at the early age of 15. Like Ruby, he became afraid of what it would do to his life.
When he was still into drugs his allowance for each purchase was about P200 to P500 pesos. He would ask the "pusher," "Meron bang item?" The item referred to is actually "puti" o "bato," the street name for illegal drugs. Sometimes, even without asking him, the "pusher" would call him if drugs were available. Right after buying, he takes shabu right at home. His mother, brother and sisters knew that he used drugs but his father did not.
The same with Ching and Ruby, he realized that using drugs will not help him in having a good future instead it will only ruin his life.
The PNP in Naga has a campaign against drug abuse. The PNP programs regarding this problem include the conduct of yearly drug symposium in different schools, pulong-pulong sa barangay and the organization of Neighborhood Crime Watch. The objective of these program is to educate the people especially the youth, on the evils, and prevention of drug abuse.
Through the experiences of Ramon, Ching, Ruby, and Tusok I may say that I find myself using illegal drugs someday for I am student like the... young and curious of the things around me. But it will only happen if I let myself be a slave of curiosity and be a coward in not facing the problems and challenges in life. I have realized that I should choose my friends. A friend that will help me in overcoming my problems and not by influencing and tolerating me to use illegal drugs just to gave me boost of fake confidence unlike by Ramon, Ching, Ruby, and Tusok.
Since the Youth are the most inclined the usage of illegal drugs and are the most vulnerable to this danger, they should be the ones to be educated the most. They should be taught how to live life properly, by building good communications within the family especially with their parents, by choosing the real friends that will help them grow rather than make them a weak person, by having wisdom of not trying the things that they know would ruin their lives just to satisfy curiosity, and not waste their life in taking and using illegal drugs for a few hours of escape from reality. Doing so would greatly contribute in saving the hope of our country's future.