[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.3.2″ background_color=”rgba(244,244,244,0.97)” custom_margin=”41px|||||” custom_padding=”49px|||||” hover_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”-134px|auto||auto||” custom_padding=”43px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING” _builder_version=”3.29.3″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_text_color=”#e09900″ text_font_size=”19px” text_orientation=”center” z_index_tablet=”500″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n
HUMAN RIGHTS<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”PROFILE” _builder_version=”3.29.3″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”20px” header_3_font=”Noto Serif||||||||” header_3_font_size=”26px” custom_padding=”20px|||” z_index_tablet=”500″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u2018Rico\u2019 <\/strong> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_title meta=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”3.29.3″ title_font=”Noto Serif||||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_font_size=”60px” title_line_height=”1.3em” z_index_tablet=”500″ title_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” title_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” title_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” meta_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” meta_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” meta_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px”][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.29.3″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ header_3_font=”Noto Serif||||||||” header_3_font_size=”26px” z_index_tablet=”500″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n \u201cDati kami po ang pasaway dito sa barangay namin. Hinahabol kami ng mga barangay tanod, ngayon po kami na nanghahabol<\/em>,\u201d Rico* proudly says.<\/p>\n [We used to be the troublemakers in our neighborhood. Neighborhood watchmen used to go after us, now we\u2019re the ones doing that. ]<\/p>\n Over 40 years old, the barangay<\/em> tanod<\/em> looks like he came straight out of an action movie. Hulking man with a shaved head, he carries the aura of a Fernando Poe, Jr. movie henchman\u2014like he could crush you in seconds if he wanted to.<\/p>\n But when he tells the story of how he powered through his drug addiction, his eyes glaze.<\/p>\n Before becoming a peace and order enforcer in their neighborhood, Rico had been one of the very troublemakers he now watches over. He had started using shabu <\/em>(methamphetamine) with friends in high school and ended up carrying what was meant to be a teenage pastime onto adulthood.<\/p>\n While he describes his past self as an \u201coccasional\u201d user, drugs, coupled with gambling became his life. He spent his money and time on debts and vices, at the expense of his wife and children.<\/p>\n When his wife found out he had used his salary on drugs instead of savings, she left him. \u00a0Even his two children were wary of Rico, pushed away by his flaring temper.<\/p>\n \u201cNaging makasarili ako. Wala akong inisip kung hindi sarili ko<\/em>,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n [Translation: I became selfish. I didn\u2019t think of anyone but myself.]<\/p>\n After several failed attempts to curb his drug addiction on his own, his wife and mother finally asked him to turn himself in to barangay authorities. Finally, two decades after he first started using drugs, Rico decided: he needed help to change for his family.<\/p>\n \u201cNapaiyak na lang po agad\u2026 Di po ako nagdalawang isip. Sinuko ko sarili<\/em> ko <\/em>[Translation: I cried\u2026 I didn\u2019t hesitate. I turned myself in.],\u201d Rico recalls of his decision to turn himself in.<\/p>\n There was just one hitch in Rico\u2019s plan: he was scared of the police.<\/p>\n With the administration\u2019s anti-drug campaign kicking in, the local government had started rounding up names of drug users who wanted surrender.<\/p>\n Turning himself in meant giving up data on his life, from getting his mugshot taken to having his fingerprints recorded by the government. It also meant putting himself in the hands of local authorities\u2014the same people who had gone after him and his friends before.<\/p>\n To Rico, this was a small price to pay for the future of his family. \u201cUnti unti rin siyang mawawala sayo yung takot, lalo kung lagi kang umaattend tapos iniisip mo yung pamilya mo<\/em>,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n [Translation: The fear goes away little by little, especially if you always attend sessions and think of your family.]<\/p>\n He never would have guessed that less than a year after his rehabilitation, he\u2019d be working with these same people he had feared.<\/p>\n In a complete reversal of roles, Rico now helps keep order and safety within their community.<\/p>\n After entering and graduating from the Diocese of Manila\u2019s Sanlakbay community rehabilitation program, he and some of his fellow graduates now work with the barangay to ensure peace and order in their neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cIto pong area naming, iniingatan po naming dito maam\u2026 Importante po kasi yan, talagang bantay sarado kami sa barangay<\/em>,\u201d Rico says.<\/p>\n [Translation: We take care of our area\u2026 It\u2019s important, we really watch over our community.]<\/p>\n As a major turning point in his life, it\u2019s a duty he takes the duty seriously. But beyond apprehending delinquents, he\u2019s more bent on ensuring drug users like him get the help they need to get their life back on track.<\/p>\n He says he and his fellow graduates hope to invite at least one person each to join the program.<\/p>\n \u201cKilala naman po nila kung ano ako noon, kung sino ako noon. Sabi nga nila \u2018Laki ng pinagbago mo,\u201d<\/em> Sabi ko, \u2018Kayang kaya niyo rin t<\/em>o\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n [Translation: They know what and who I was before. They tell me \u2018You\u2019ve changed a lot.\u2019 I tell them they can do it, too.]<\/p>\n He says he never thought he would change, but with the support of the community and his loved ones, he\u2019s working on regaining the trust and respect of his peers.<\/p>\n \u201cNung nasa drugs pa ako, halos lahat nawala eh. Lahat ng tiwala, lahat ng respeto,\u201d <\/em>he recalls. \u201cGusto kong bawiin yung tiwala nila na nawala… Yun yung gusto ko talagang ibalik sa lahat ng tao.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n [Translation: When I was doing drugs, I lost almost everything. All the trust, all the respect\u2026 I want to bring back the trust I lost\u2026 That\u2019s what I want to restore in people.]<\/p>\n * The interviewee\u2019s name has been changed to protect his privacy.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u2018Rico\u2019 – Graduate of Batch 1 of the Diocese of Manila\u2019s Sanlakbay program<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":664,"featured_media":684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-rights","category-impact-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideals.org.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideals.org.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideals.org.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideals.org.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/664"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideals.org.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ideals.org.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideals.org.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideals.org.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideals.org.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideals.org.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Graduate of Batch 1 of the Diocese of Manila\u2019s Sanlakbay program<\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/h3>\n
Overcoming fears<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/h3>\n
From troublemaker to barangay tanod<\/strong><\/h3>\n