UP Law hosts drug policy summit
April 23, 2024
Policy makers, diplomats, law enforcers, and media personalities, were but a few of the participants at the launch of the Philippine Drug Policy and Law Reform Summit that the UP College of Law (UP Law) hosted.
“Today, we are launching not just an event, but a collective journey towards promoting the health, lives, and well-being of all,” said event host Raymond Marvic C. Baguilat, a lecturer at the UP Law and the UP Law Center Institute of Human Rights (IHR).
Event participants. Photo by Jefferson Villacruz, UPDIO
He added that the event was a gathering of stakeholders that share “a vision of crafting a new legal framework for drugs that would espouse public health, and centers on human rights.”
UP Law Dean Darlene Marie B. Berberabe said the event “marks the beginning of a series of crucial dialogues leading up to the Philippine Drug Policy and Law Reform Summit.”
“This is not just a conversation among experts and those with first-hand experience, but also a space for engagement,” Berberabe said.
She said the dialogues will include various sectors, from children and youth to health workers and human rights groups.
“This diverse representation ensures a holistic view of drug policy and law reform with intersectionalities considered for a richer exchange of ideas,” Berberabe said.
She added that the output from the dialogues will be “crucial in shaping the rapporteur’s report on drug policy and law reform areas,” and most importantly, will emphasize the college’s commitment “to a human-rights-based approach to drug policy reforms in the Philippines.”
In his keynote speech, Department of Justice Undersecretary Jesse Hermogenes T. Andres enjoined participants to engage in a dialogue that cuts across boundaries.
Andres. Photo by Jefferson Villacruz, UPDIO
“Let us foster a supportive and inclusive environment. Let us listen and understand. To listen and to understand should be the commitment of every person in this drug policy summit. Let us harness the power of collective wisdom, collective action, and collective responsibility to forge solutions that have far-reaching impact and yet are sustainable,” Andres said.
UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II said it is appropriate that UP Law was chosen as the academic partner of the drug policy summit.
Vistan. Photo by Jefferson Villacruz, UPDIO
“It is very fortunate that the administration has decided to revive the discussion on how best to address the drug problem,” Vistan said. “We are looking forward to a bigger task, which is reimagining, and hopefully coming up with new solutions considering the new challenges of our time,” he added.
Vistan also reminded everyone that the exercise…