By DANIELA MAURICIO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – An international human rights group said that there are “systemic failures and human rights violations” in the Philippine government’s handling of the illegal drugs problem.
In a press conference on Nov. 28 that discussed the report titled “Submit and Surrender: The Harms of Arbitrary Drug Detention in the Philippines,” Amnesty International (AI) researcher Rachel Chhoa-Howard said, “What is supposed to be an effort to protect public health has instead led to a legacy of violence, disease, massive incarceration, suffering, and abuse.”
She raised concerns over human rights abuses in the government’s war on drugs. Over the past eight years covering the administrations of Duterte and Marcos Jr, AI documented thousands of cases involving extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detention, and other abuses.
During Duterte’s administration, numerous killings were documented, drawing widespread controversy and condemnation from various human rights groups. The Marcos Jr administration failed to conduct investigations and fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding the former president’s war on drugs. “While Amnesty continues to call for an end to the killings and for justice and accountability, we cannot ignore the ongoing violations of the right to health,” Chhoa-Howard said.
Despite claims from the Marcos Jr administration that its approach to drug control would shift to a public health perspective, AI’s findings show that punitive measures persist. Chhoa-Howard called for genuine reform with a focus on public health and human rights-based strategies.
Jerrie Abella, an AI campaigner, detailed the three critical stages where human rights violations occur: during arrests, within drug detention centers, and post-release. Abella described so-called “drug rehabilitation centers” as punitive detention facilities where individuals, including adolescents, are subjected to invasive drug tests and forced treatment. These centers, he said, do not offer rehabilitation but instead serve as sites of coercion.
“To achieve a genuinely human rights-compliant approach to drugs, the Philippine government must move away from punitive and harmful responses. Instead, it must adopt evidence-based initiatives. This includes the decriminalization of the use, possession, contribution, and acquisition of drugs,” Abella said.
Abella also criticized the Philippines’ criminalization of personal drug use, as outlined under Republic Act 9165. This, he said, exacerbates overcrowded prisons and further stigmatizes individuals who use drugs.
According to a report citing the World Prison Brief, the Philippines has the third-highest prison occupancy rate in the world at 362 percent. Of the country’s 478 jails, 323 experience overcrowding, which has led to poor conditions for Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs).
He observed the underutilization or criminalization of harm reduction strategies like needle syringe programs and overdose prevention tools, aside from human rights abuses in rehabilitation facilities like forced isolation and stripping of autonomy.
Inez Feria, founder and executive director of NoBox Philippines, described the current rehabilitation system as driven by flawed policies and harmful ideologies. She criticized the Department of Health (DOH) for allowing facilities that perpetuate such harmful practices and the law enforcement for undermining public health goals.
“When drug use comes into the picture, the commitment to ethical care somehow vanishes,” Feria said. “But these values must apply to everyone, including those who use drugs.”
Feria urged the government to invest in evidence-based, low-threshold services that respect human dignity, such as harm reduction programs. “Blocking essential services like needle syringe programs and overdose prevention tools denies people care they deserve and need. The current drug laws and policies are putting people at risk.”
Juno Pegarido of IDUCare (Injecting Drug Users Care) stressed the need for a comprehensive reform in drug policy. He called on the Philippine government to focus on health and rights-based strategies instead of punitive measures. “Filipinos who use drugs are not criminals. They are also able-bodied beings who need our help and understanding.” (DAA, JJE)
