Prelate: Right to life is human right

DAVAO CITY—Following the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte which mentions about his continuing war against drugs and telling human rights advocates that his concern is right to live, a prelate said that right to life is the first human right which also covers drug users.

In his Facebook post that has been shared by many, Bishop Pablo David said that even drug users are also victims of the drug menace and they also deserve the right to live.

“Your concern is human rights. Mine is human lives,” said President Duterte during his SONA, July 23, adding that this war “will be as relentless and as chilling as on the day it began.”

Duterte also said that the war on drugs is far from over, causing human rights advocates and even the Church leaders to fear for more killings.

“Addicts, for us are sick people; drug use is not a crime that deserves death. What people with substance-use disorder need is rehabilitation. Yes , use the full force of the law, file charges against violators, jail the pushers and the suppliers, but save the users; do not kill them,” Bp. David said.

“Besides, we cannot rehabilitate the dead people anymore, can we?” the bishop asked.

The bishop also said that the Church is willing to help in the endeavour of helping drug users find new life through rehabilitation and intervention. In the case of Davao City, the Sagop Kinabuhi Program II of the Archdiocese of Davao has helped hundreds of individuals and their families avoid drug use and become productive citizens.

“Neither the Church nor human rights advocates are saying that we should allow illegal drugs to simply proliferate in our country. Of course we are also concerned about the victims of drug abusers. But the victims of illegal drugs include the drug users themselves,” Bishop David said.

He also said that it is obvious that the addicts and small-time peddlers are pushers are not the root cause of the drug problem, saying: “How come the supply of illegal drugs remains steady in spite of all the killings?”

“The fight against illegal drugs must indeed be relentless, but the killings—either by the police or by masked vigilantes—must be stopped! This will remain as our stubborn and relentless plea,” the bishop ended.