Twin problems bedevil youth: drug abuse and gangsterism
By Lei Chavez, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/02/2009 12:24 PM
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Early last year, a hand grenade was hurled near La Consolacion College and College of the Holy Spirit in Mendiola, hurting 16 people who were mostly students. The explosion occurred past four in the afternoon—at rush hour.
The case was not resolved, according to Grepor Belgica, commissioner of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, but it was believed to have been initiated by a fraternity leader from a nearby college.
The commotion not only stirred police officials, it also brought to light another alarming fact: the increasing number of destructive fraternities and gangs in the communities.
According to a PAOCC statement, there are currently 233 destructive gangs and fraternities in the national capital region alone. There are also 79 heinous crimes listed in the third quarter of 2008 that were committed by different gang members.
Other crimes such as robbery, snatching, violence, auto theft, and payroll holdup are also attributed to gang members.
Membership in gangs and fraternities, according to Belgica, starts during grade school and these members are most likely to get involved in crimes during their high school days. Belgica was speaker in a recent forum on drug abuse and youth gangsterism held in Manila.
"Fraternities are not bad. The problem is when they're not supervised, they get into rumbles," Belgica said.
He also explained to abs-cbnnews.com that rivalries usually start at school but when a member gets kicked out and encounters rivals outside, the fight transfers to the community.
Getting involved in drugs and gangs are manifestations of youth restlessness at the age of puberty, according to Belgica.
"It is normal for the young to be curious about their surroundings and often try narcotics and liquor," he said. But what was threatening was that most youths could not get back on their toes after succumbing to drugs due to lack of discernment and parental guidance.
"It took me a while to get back to normal. When you're off the right path, it tends to go on and on," Belgica said. He used to take drugs and is a former gang member.
Drugs and delinquency
Eduardo Zialcita, representative of the first district of Paranaque, said that 95% of crimes in his district are drug-related. He also noted that although the Philippines has the "most comprehensive drug law in the world, we are lacking when it comes to its implementation."
Thelma Santos, assistant director of the Department of Education communications center central office, said that when they conducted random drug tests in private and public schools in 2003, 115 out of the 8,670 students tested or 1.32 percent turned out to be positive on drugs.
The testing was conducted in 287 participating schools. Santos added that in the upcoming February random drug testing, students in 5,077 public schools and 3,377 private schools will undergo testing.
According to Zialcita, less suspects are charged and jailed. "There's no problem about making arrests. The problem is sending them to jail," he said.
He added that out of the 79,000 illegal drug cases, only 5% led to convictions and 5 % were dismissed. "90% are still pending in the courts. When a case gets to stay in court, lots of magic can happen. Witnesses and evidences disappear and there are continuous finger pointing," Zialcita quipped.
Amend the Juvenile Act
Belgica strongly suggested the amendment of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act or Pangilinan law because there are no funds allocated to the facilities to house offenders.
According to him, police officers are forced to let go of the offenders because there are no youth reform centers or schools that would house them.
"Rehab centers are not enough to accommodate drug users. We should have a community-based rehab program," Belgica commented.
Likewise, he told abs-cbnnews.com that syndicates are "taking advantage" of the law by using minors in their operations. PNP also acknowledges that youth offenders "are not likely to be prosecuted for their crimes because they are minors."
Community effort
The increasing distrubance made by delinquents in the grassroots pushed PAOCC to look for solutions that start with the most basic unit in the community--the family. Aside from the family, there should also be initiatives from schools and communities.
"This should be a community project. Everyone should be involved to address the issue of gangsterism and to prevent substance abuse," Belgica said.
In this light, PAOCC has spearheaded an awareness campaign, Youth Guide, that aims to coordinate basic institutions and address the lingering problem of youth delinquency and drug abuse in the communities.
PAOCC earlier conducted conferences in Regions 8, 5 and NCR. But this is just the first leg of the youth guide, according to Belgica. The next step would be to have policies.
PNP director Leopoldo Bataoil, chief of the National Capital Region, talked about PNP's programs in Region 6 where the youth and their parents were organized. "Their lives became meaningful and they became a very important part of the society. There are many positive programs to enhance the productivity of the youth other than let them run astray and be criminal elements later on," he said.
Aside from these, the PNP has activities like "Pulis ko, Teacher ko,"
"We want to be proactive. We would like to be a part of their developments as good citizens," Bataoil said.
According to Santos, the Department of Education already has initiatives to implement comprehensive school-based drug abuse prevention programs.
These programs include: 1) integration of drugs awareness in the curriculum and use of co-curricular activities to prevent drug abuse, 2) training school principals, 3) maxim use of school resources that can contribute to the child's development, 4) strengthening of community and parent participation, and 5) initiation of drug-related researches and studies.
"We support it but we acknowledge that we cannot do it alone. We need community participation," Zialcita said.
