Defying All Odds Turned into Freaking Battle cry

By Arjhay Romero

Life is always accompanied by optimism and pessimism. We may experience happiness all the
time yet we cannot neglect its partner which is sadness. They’ve come as partners if we actually assess.
From this, people tend to be inactive due to dominance of pessimism rather than to focus on a positive
one. It is in our nature to let our negativity devour our mentality, attitude and renounce our physical
likeness. As a result, we seek for opportunity to combat these negativities which turned out as
problems, impossible odds, depression and the like just to cope and keep ourselves on the right track.

The “madla” always shout into madness, “I will defy this odd!” It’s very odd to believe that it
turned to be a freaking battle cry yet we can’t figure out how this happened. Requirements here! Quiz
there! Graded recitation later! Projects everywhere! These are the stressful words that are unavoidable
to be heard in the ears of a college student. Nigh impossible odds needed to surmount but nearly every
student don’t how to face them. Pity the college students whose perspective on one of the most
important part of their lives turned into their worst nightmare.

Depression and Anxiety have become increasingly prevalent in the college students of today.
These mental health issues are the biggest barrier towards their performance in school. In fact, 16% of
the college students reported that depression had a negative impact on their academic performance
back in 2017, with anxiety impacting over 24% of the students. We believe that this data provided by the
National Network of Depression Centre (NNDC) is indeed visible in local universities in every province.
Students always cry and be sluggish every day, these are signs that our teachers and authorities need to
realize and be more sensitive.

Additionally, the college students are the investment of society, they represent society’s
investment through education thus their mental health is an important factor not only for their own
benefits but also for others. The psychological problems like distress, depression and anxiety among
college students are increasing every year. The roots for such psychological problems and emotional
disorders commonly include greater academic demands, changes in social life, family lifestyle and
new/different environment.

Other problems for depression and stress are pressure in deadlines, tough competition, and
academic pressure resulting in fear of failure. First and foremost is the academic failure, students often
fear getting lower marks than what they initially expect. This is commonly widespread as said marks will
always be lower than what is expected. Other causes of stress might be due to the change of
environment from high school to college and being homesick.

It has been observed that the distress, anxiety and depression among the 1 st year students is
due to the increase in load and complexities of the subjects they’re trying to learn. This gives an
implication that the further they progress each year the more will the pressure increase on the student
which will lead to even more distress which will harm the student.

Psychological depression has been sprouted, making them think of suicidal thoughts,
desperately seek love and hormonal imbalances. We see them in pain but they still fight. It is the
authorities’ decision to whether or not they approach this problem carelessly and face its consequences
tomorrow. Somehow, students can actually defy these odds they are put through. Upon observation,
they can come back on track if they simply put all their focus on their goals, dreams and aspirations
along with the mentality of thinking that these problems/challenges they are facing will make them
become a better person sooner and can lead them to success. This battle cry is needed by everyone
because they don’t have a choice.
 What Kind of Crazy is Harley Quinn?

By Lady Nichole B. Lunasco

“She’s just crazy!” this is how the movie describes Harley Quinn, the most popular character in the
movie Suicide Squad, who was played by Margot Robbie. This character shouts feminism a villainess as
crazed and violent.

She was the psychiatrist who discovered Joker in Arkham Asylum in which she grew an Obsession and
Infatuation towards him.

Mental illness also called mental health disorder refers to a wide range of mental health conditions
involving changes in emotion, thinking or behavior (or a combination of these). It is associated with
distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities.

Suicide squad showcases all of Hollywood’s dangerous ideas about mental Illness. There are currently
157 mental illnesses listed in the 5th edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder
from schizophrenia to obsessive compulsive disorder with a widely different and highly specific list of
symptoms.

Considering Harley Quinn and Joker are both crazy, it’s not a surprise that they have a messed up
relationship. Harley was constantly manipulated in both psychological and physical aspects by Joker
through abuse which led her to develop a mental illness closer to a diagnosed Histrionic personality
disorder.

The symptoms of this mental-illness are being flirtatious or seductive, wanting to be the center of
attention, wearing provocative clothing, being shallow, gullible and overestimating the intimacy of social
relationships. All these symptoms were present and was shown by Harley Quinn. She wears pigtails, and
a shirt with “Daddy” printed on it, and she is prone to adorably silly non-sequiturs. She also licks things
provocatively at random things and strips in full view of others, not to mention she’s a violent killer.

Though, it’s not clear what illness Quinn is displaying, but there are a couple of clues that can help us
determine it such as things she say, like “Voices in my head are telling me to kill you all” and later in the
movie, “Are you guys seeing this supernatural thing because I’m off my meds?” Implying that people
who are having hallucinations are the ones that are prone to be violent.

Furthermore, Mental Illnesses can make you miserable and can cause problems in your daily life such as
in schools, work or in relationships just like what Joker and Harley Quinn portrays. In reality, symptoms
can be managed with combinations of medications and talk therapy such as psychotherapy.

There’s no shame at all in getting help and talking to someone about treatment. When you hurt your
arm or get terrible virus, you seek treatment. So don’t act differently when another vial organ like your
brain needs attention.

Harley Quinn may be considered “Crazy” and has some disorganized thoughts and other symptoms that
can be considered psychotic, but she was an integral member of the “Suicide Squad’ who saved Gotham
City from Enchantress. She is a great example of a comic book character that even a villain with a mental
illness can be a hero. And that is how “crazy” Harley Quinn is.
 Filtered Words

Mental illness is more prevalent than you might think.

Emotional Torments are often self-conscious and fearful that you might view them as abnormal.

There are words that you aren’t allowed to say to someone suffering from mental illness because the
phrase might unintentionally cause pain. “I don’t see you trying, maybe you’re using your mental illness
to seek for attention!” is a small but vital way to reduce the stigmatizing impact of such language. It’s
better to stay silent than to say insensitive things. Treating mental illness is not simply trying meditation,
listening to music, and traveling although those things might help the best way to be able to cope with
mental illnesses is through NATURAL solutions such as providing and creating a healthy environment. A
person needs to be encouraged and not judged by describing them as “Crazy “or “Insane” which can
crush their personality. People don’t talk about their mental health because they don’t want to show
weakness but simple words can hurt them, they seem so fragile, short tempered, confused and lack
confidence. They lose their trust and spend all day worrying and questioning their worth.

According to Emily Boethius on her article “Mental illnesses: Terms to use. Terms to avoid”, The words
“Crazy, Unhinged and Psychotic” are very insulting to a person who is suffering from mental illness and
could even worsen their condition.

Furthermore, Jamie Berube, a catalog contributor said that, those who struggle with mental illness are
not people who deserve to be treated differently or with scrutiny, judgement or pity. We deserve to be
treated and talked to like everyone else, even in these moments of weakness. Because at the end of the
day, we are people with hearts, minds, dreams and hopes that matter which needs to be seen as
important and worthy of being noticed on their own. We need to separate their positives with what
they are going through internally and recognize them with love and respect. And that just might be the
very thing that can make more of a difference for someone who is struggling than anything else.

Therefore, it’s very important to educate yourself about helpful things to say. In fact, fast, author of
several bestselling books on bipolar disorders, including loving someone with bipolar disorder, believed
that we have to be taught what to say in order to not hurt other people’s feelings and help them cope
with what they’re going through. As they say, “Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out”
which means that you should think before you speak, because people with mental illness are very
sensitive about what you do or say.
 Depression is my Friend

By Jastine B. Orpilla

Little drops of tears from heaven gently trickled upon the windowpane. It is another sad
evening. A wet season does not appeal to me. It sets me a gloomy mood. So blue, that I could feel a
sudden burst of prick of the past and a vivid nostalgia of unforgotten bleak events. As I watch every drop
of rain on the ground, memories continue to bother me.

I feel like a child who finds comfort in a closed space, a space where no other creature will have
to thrive but my bitter reveries and me. I can hear some sounds that trigger me. I look at the four sided
quadrangle but no one was there, I am being paranoid and depressed because of that sound.

Maybe you are wondering why I feel this kind of way but mind you, you can’t blame me for this.
It comes unexpectedly, my innocent heart turns into a dark one who always wants to cry with silent
scream so that no one can hear and judge me.

I am an adult who came from a broken family. At my young age I already encountered lots of
criticism in this wildly world. I don’t know why, but one thing is for sure I know that I am not that kind of
person that can be accepted by others.

Upon looking at myself in the mirror I always want to wish that I have a clear skin and a pointy
nose so that the society will accept me. Yes, I am human who looks like an animal because of my scars,
wrinkles, snub-nosed and dark skin. This is not what I think about myself but this is how the society sees
me.

I want to stand and fight for my rights but I don’t want to repeat the same failures that I
committed before. Some people might think that failure is a part of success but mind you I am the living
evidence that failure is a part of your downfall.

Why am I thinking this kind of notion? It’s simple because you are the one who builds negativity
in my life. Your judgement and criticism made me realize that I am incapable of something. And that is
that I don’t deserve to love and to be loved by somebody.

After the stress I endured upon, I was crumbled under pressure and emotional crisis that
resulted to my shame and fear. I realize that I am living in the world in which depression is the only one
that stays beside me. That’s why I recognized depression as my friend.

Now I understand that dying is easy but living is hard. Nobody knows what I feel inside, if you
could read my mind, you’d be in tears. All I do now is cry and complain. The rain has congested and
could no longer hear the continuous beating on the roof. The cold breeze still encompassed me even
with my blanket on.

I Shivered!
 Motion: A social media notion

Kiana Nicole T. Baquiran

As newton’s third law of motion states, “Every Action has an equal or opposite reaction.” This law does
not only apply on physics, but it also applies to our everyday lives.

They use of social media has been wracked technologies, for it is a great medium for communication call
of social interaction and social awareness. Yet, it also has a diverse affects to those who use it.

Some people sent to overuse social media, in some people immerse themselves so much that they
forget to interact with real people.

According to a study from the University Of Pittsburgh School of medicine, the more time young adults
spent on social media, but more likely they were to have problems sleeping and symptoms of
depression.

It is so widely known that certain social media platforms are already a site wherein a person could vent
out all of his or her problems, but the, funny thing about it, is that it doesn’t solve the problems at hand,
it actually worsens it.

Living in this advance world somehow degrades a person state of being. As social media is an easy
platform for praises and awareness, it is also an easy platform for shaming, insulting and bullying. Thus,
it is seen here that social media affects our mental health both in a positive and in a negative way.

Likes, shares and views may make a person feel good about himself or herself as he or she gains
sympathy from the people who have viewed his or her post, but behind all of those trendy,
instagrammable posts is the dark reality of loneliness.

As the number of dummy accounts rise in social media platforms, people behind those accounts are
hard to trace. For they are called dummies which literally means fake. There are also some accounts
they call trolls as they use their accounts for bashing and for literally trolling around.

Aside from indirect effects of social media to the brain, studies also show that phones and other gadgets
send radiations to the brain that causes changes to it. Signals travel through waves that could possibly
harm or alter the brain.

As newton’s third law of motion states, “Every action has an equal or opposite reaction”. Lahat ng sobra
ay masama. With one simple click, a stepping-stone to an abyss will be made.
 The Gift

Justine Bianca Pascua

Life is the greatest gift that God has given to us, but is it that great when it is full of hardships and
challenges?

The Gift is an iWant movie starring Nash Aguas as Cocoy, a boy with Asperger syndrome, and Sharlene
San Pedro as Tina, a girl who suffers from a heart condition. As all Filipino love stories go, Cocoy and Tina
fall in love with each other, but their young love doesn’t end up like all other stories go.

Cocoy, who suffers from a mental illness called Asperger syndrome, has a hard time in socializing with
people. Asperger syndrome also known as Asperger’s is a developmental disorder characterized by
difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive
patterns of behavior and interests.

As showed in the first scene of the movie, Cocoy, as a child, bluntly insulted his teacher for being fat.
Yet, as a boy who has Asperger’s, he did not mean to insult the teacher, it just seems so natural for him
to say it. Later in the movie, Cocoy meets Tina, a girl who developed depression since she was sheltered
and had no social interaction because of her heart condition.

The movie also feature a camp, headed by Dra. Rita, a psychologist. Within this camp, there are people
who suffer from different mental disorders, which include Cocoy and Tina.

One night, the camp held a simple ball as a get together, when suddenly, Dido, a pyromaniac, sets up a
firecracker that caused Cocoy to panic. In that moment, Tina was the only one who could make COcoy
calm down. And from that moment on they were inseperable.

However, their love for each other was challenged by their illnesses and by Tina’s parents. While Cocoy
was about to confess to Tina, her parents came and forced the two of them to separate. From then on,
Tina had difficulty of breathing as she was suffering from her heart disease.

Fast forward to the highlight of the movie, after Cocoy was sent to jail because he attacked his brother-
in-law for meddling with their kitchen (Which Cocoy claims his, and no one should ever touch it except
him), he escapes jail to go to Tina and gets hit by a car. During that time, Tina was shown to be at the
Hospital, flat lining.

Yet, the story does not end there. Unlike Romeo and Juliet, the two did not have such a tragic ending.
Tina survives as she was given a heart donor, which was Cocoy. In a flashback, Cocoy made a letter for
Tina saying,

“Para mabuhay ka, kailangan mo ng puso. Kaya sa organ donor form na ito, sakaling may mangyari
sakin, gusto ko ibigay sa’yo ang puso ko. Para habang buhay mo akong kasama.”

As tear jerking and cheesy it is, this movie showed that aside from God’s gift of life, He also gave us a
precious gift that could rule the world—Love.
 Anxiety Disorder: A thread

Leonor Tumaliuan

The feeling of fear of the unknown is normal, but constantly thinking of it is another level of
anxiousness.

Just like a tangled thread that can’t be brought back to its normal state, anxiety disorder tangles your
emotions and state of being in such a way. It almost goes normally yet abnormally every day.

Anxiety is different from just the normal feeling of anxiousness. It is a constant and overwhelming
feeling of worry and fear that consumes a person suffering from it.

The Thread

Furthermore, anxiety disorder is just an umbrella term that includes several disorders including panic
disorder, social anxiety disorder and specific phobias.

First in the list of disorders is the panic disorder. It is a random attack of extreme fear that may include
palpitations and chest pain. It also disables your ability to think and act normally.

Next is the social anxiety disorder or social phobia. This is when a person has an overwhelming feeling of
fear and self-conciousness around a crowd.

Last but literally not the least is the long list of certain phobias. Phobia is the extreme fear or dislike of a
certain thing that may be developed during a traumatic event.

The Knot

According to researchers, the exact origin of anxiety disorder is still unidentified. However, Just like
other mental illnesses, this may be caused by environmental stress, hormonal imbalance or genes.

Untangling the thread

All anxiety disorders include general symptoms such as; panic, fear, uneasiness, sleeping problems,
being jittery, becoming cold, sweaty, numb, tingling hands or feet, shortness of breath, heart
palpitations, dry mouth, nausea, tense muscles and dizziness.

Anxiety disorder can be managed through a healthy lifestyle. Cutting caffeine rich food and drinks such
as coffee, chocolate and energy drinks would help lessen changes in mood. It is also important to have
enough sleep, and exercise regularly so that the brain could function well.

So, what is the solution when the thread’s already tangled? Since it is hard to untangle a thread, the last
resort is to cut it. But, this does not mean putting an end to something, yet, it is a symbol of trying to let
go of the things we can no longer grasp.

Start anew and do not let the thread get tangled.

 Inside out

Jaid Tatiana Andres

Have you ever felt different emotions encapsulating inside you in one single moment? Maybe the
feelings inside your head is out of control, perhaps you are secreting too much serotonin, endorphin,
oxytocin and dopamine. Those are hormones responsible for human core emotions; joy, sadness, fear,
disgust and anger.

These are the five characters inside the mind of 11-year-old Riley Anderson, who moved from
Minnesota to San Francisco. The movie was entitled Inside Out, who tackles the different problems
encountered by the emotions who are controlling Riley as she starts a new life away from her old home.

Problems then arise when sadness touched Riley’s ball of memories, which turned memory into a sad
memory. Joy and sadness then found themselves lost in Riley’s “Islands of personality” that was built
based on Riley’s experiences and the most crucial part of her life, which molds her personality.

When Joy, who was Riley’s most dominant emotion, was lost in the islands of personalities, fear, disgust
and anger started deciding what riley should do. Riley then decided to go back Minnesota.

Joy and sadness, however, struggled to go back to the main headquarters as Riley’s islands of
personalities and began to disappear.

After they got back, joy realizes that sadness is also an essential part of Riley, that happiness is not
achieved if Riley did not feel sad is that all. Riley then got sad and realized that she has to go back to her
parents and apologize for her mistake.

The movie instilled a lesson that happiness is not just about joy. We would not value happiness much if
we do not experience sadness. It can be compared metaphorically with the rich and the poor kid. A rich
person would not really appreciate his wealth as much if he was born rich, but if he was born poor and
become rich, he knows the value of his wealth us he strived hard to achieve it.

Although it is an excellent animated movie, it lacks in a sense. Riley’s emotions are limited. The absence
of reasoning or conscience, and free will should be noted. It seems as though Riley was a slave of her
own emotions.

This aspect of Riley is noticeable to people when they neglect their reasoning and free will. People tend
to rely on their emotions for judgment, which is a disaster in dealing with adult situations and problems.
As emotions take over our minds, we react irrationally, and we often regret our decision afterwards.

All of us have different “Islands of personality” molded from our emotions and memories. Would you
rather become a Riley enslaved by her emotions or someone who has a conscience and free will and be
in control of your own emotions?
 Self-esteem

Abigail Santos

Self-esteem could be powerful and powerless. It could be acquired and lost. It refers to the positive
(high self-esteem) or negative (low self-esteem) feelings that we feel about ourselves. Self-esteem is,
In general, a characteristic that is stable over time, with some people having relatively high self-esteem
and others having less self-esteem. Yet self-esteem is also a condition that differs from day to day and
even from hour to hour. When we fail in a task, done something harmful or feel that we are being
ignored or criticized, the negative aspects of the self-concept are more accessible and we experience
low self-esteem.

Confidence. Self-respect. Self-love. Self-worth

These words refer to a person with high self-esteem and have positive effect on a person’s performance.
Having high self-esteem could improve your socialization with other people, stand for your own opinion,
accept challenges, become more resilient, more committed, being content with your imperfection, less
depressed and increase of lifespan.

“You are what you believe yourself to be.” Said Paulo Coelho. Believing in your own capability is truly a
wonderful superpower. It urges you to do what you have to do and strengthens your abilities to achieve
what you want to achieve. Thus, having high self-esteem seems to be a valuable resource—people with
high self-esteem are happier, more active and are better problem solvers.

However, everything that is excessive produces negative results. It could lead to a narcissistic
personality, a trait where a person has excessive confidence, self-admiration and self-centeredness. This
causes a person with such personality traits to be selfish, often becoming unfaithful to partners; often
pursue self-serving behaviors to the detriment of people and communities surrounding them.

In addition, research has found out that people, especially with children with unrealistically high self-
esteem are more aggressive than those with low self-esteem. People must be aware of the negative
effects of enhancing self-esteem. Self-esteem enhancement programs may backfire and create
narcissism or conceit. The cognitive social goal is to have an accurate self-view.

Unworthy. Guilt. Inadequate.

These words relate to the negative feeling of the person towards themselves. Low self-esteem reduces
quality of life. A person with low self-esteem feels unhappy, unsatisfied with themselves, ignores their
positive qualities, having an inferiority complex, blaming himself or herself, doubting compliments and
not taking credit for their own achievements assuming that they just got lucky.

People with low self-esteem tend to develop constant negative feelings, fear of trying things, lack of
self-care and may develop self-harming behaviors. Many aspects cause low self-esteem such as having
an unhappy childhood, poor academic performance in the past, encountering stressful life events, being
in abusive relationships, having medical problems and being mentally ill.
It is vital to boost self-confidence to people who are lacking. Feel the positive energy bursting from
within. Surround yourself with positive people and detoxify yourself from toxic people and toxic
relationships.

How to cope with Depression

By Mitz Crissostomo

It was a cold night, the rain pours down slowly on the ceiling. Angelica was there. She’s lonely, not
because she’s alone but because it feels like she’s alone. She tried to remove the negative thoughts in
her head but she can’t because she doesn’t know how to.

The whispers in her head are getting louder and louder as she saw a knife. You probably thought that
she should ask for help. She did, but no one listened.

She silently pleads for help, sharing depressive posts on social media once in a while. She told others
that she was sad, but instead of comforting her, she was ignored. In a society where depression is too
familiar, people who have depression often get overlooked. She tried to tell her parents how she feels,
but they were too busy fighting. Maybe the thoughts in her head were right, that she was better off
dead.

The knife for her was a haven. She wouldn’t have to deal with all these things if she ended it once and
for all. So she did. She acted on her thoughts.

She was one in the millions who died of depression. According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
800 000 people at the age of 15-19-year-olds die every year and suicide is the third most leading cause
of their deaths.

Depression is a disorder that causes a person to be extremely sad, losing interest in enjoyable things,
become unmotivated, suicidal thoughts, harming himself or herself and the feeling of unworthiness or
guiltiness on a psychological basis. On the physical aspect, symptoms of depression are loss of appetite
with excessive loss of weight, being physically inactive, sleep-deprivation despite continually feeling
tired or sleep a lot more than usual. To sum it all up, depression kills.

One in three people experience depression at some stage of their lives. Depression can be mild, but one
out of ten people experiences moderate or severe depressive episodes.

There are ways to treat depression. The first one would be Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that
controls negative thoughts, and fight against sadness, hopelessness and counteract the behaviors that
relate to lack of focus and ideas of death. However, CBT works when the person has a positive response
to CBT, or when it is preferred than medications.

For some people, medications would be the most effective method, or they medicate while they are on
CBT. Anti-depressant drugs could vary depending on the needs of the person. It is essential to consult
the physician on the medications.
Another treatment is Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) that involves a brief electric current to specific
parts of the head to produce a minor seizure in the brain. Although many are afraid of this therapy, ECT
is the most rapid in effect than medication and CBT.

ECT is used to treat depression when the person has medical contradictions to medication, when there
is a need for fast improvement as the patient refuses to eat or have suicidal thoughts, when CBT and
medication or both did not work, when psychotic symptoms and somatic symptoms are present, and
when they had ECT before and experienced positive response.

These types of treatments are vital for treating depression. However, it is also crucial for the person to
take the initiative to combat depression. There are also natural ways of coping up with depression.

Exercise is an excellent way to feel active as well as eating nourished, and a balanced diet is vital as
depressive people eat less or overeats themselves. It is crucial to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet
as it improves the mood and energy of the person.

Depressive people should also express themselves and have someone to listen to. Having supportive
friends and family has a positive effect in coping with depression. Another way is to try to notice the
good and positive things in life.

A very effective coping mechanism is to indulge yourself in that you love to do the most. It could be
writing and reading, watching movies and everything that makes you happy and passionate about. This
allows the person not to think deeply about negative thoughts and improve their mood.

While depression can be treated in many ways and symptoms can be lessened, depression cannot be
cured. It has a high risk of recurrence. It is essential to continually seek treatment and natural ways of
coping when depression recurred.

I wish Angelica knew these before she decided to end everything. I wish I also knew. If I did, if we did,
Angelica, my daughter would have been alive today.
 Rehabilitation

By Maria Theresa Villanueva

The President campaign’s into the war on drugs has been the spotlight problem of drug addiction in the
Philippines. Launched almost a year ago, The Duterte administration’s war on drugs has an estimated 4
million drugs surrenderies based on figures from the Philippine National Police (PNP), only about 1.3
million are surrenderers and about 94% are users. As of now drug surrederies continue to surrender and
the super-size drug rehabilitation centers is giving up, this burden of treating drug users to community-
level programs with little medical expertise.

Treating those drug users presents a monumental task for the government. Due to the focus of the
administration on the war on drugs, some people criticize our government because of the extermination
rather than the healing.

Rehabilitation has the biggest help to the surrenderies here in the Philippines nowadays, the large
number of surrenderies and lack of facilities has been a problem when it comes to this issue. Almost of
the regions, have at least one DATRC (Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers) except in the
Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Region 4-B (Mimaropa), Region 9 (Zamboanga), Region 11
(Davao), Region 12 (Soccsksargen), and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARRM). Over all
there are 53 licensed DATRC nationwide,only 15 are operated by the DOH and 3 are out-patient centers.

Rehabilitation centers help the surrendies through the Different Treatment Modalities. Therapeutic
community, which deals with behavior modification andvalue reformation. Hazelden Program is based
on the belief that a power greater than oneself could restore sanity .Electric/Multi-Disciplinary Team
Approach combines all the treatment modalities. Treatment team is composed of a doctor, a social
worker, and a psychologist, Faith-Based/Spiritual Model views faith as an inspiration to change the
wellbeing of the person. Individual’s personal conviction and faith encourage him/her to turn away from
dangerous drug abuse and aspire to become more productivity. These are the program of DOH in the
rehabilitation centers in order to help the surrenderies to the person to learn how to take care of their
body, to maintain a high level of health that avoids the secondary complications of drugs and to
reintegrate oneself into the community.

Many of our government officials have referred to the surrenderies needing rehabilitation as drug
dependents although under the Drug Dependency Examination, a drug user is not automatically a drug
independent. The mindset of the government influenced the people that a drug user is already a
criminal, as Regina Hechanova (the head of Task Force On Drug Recovery of the Psychological
Association of the Philippines) said “The problem is, when you talk about users, were not really careful
about our labels. “We tend to think all users are addicts. And all addicts are criminals, when those are
very different populations”. Hechanova and DOH are willing to help those users to have hope and start
all over again even though of what they have been through as long as they are giving their best to
change and their best returning to the possible normal living routine.

“The problem is once you’re addicted to shabu, rehabilitation is no longer an available option”, as our
President have said in an event in Cebu City. However, in contradiction of what he have said, his
administration is still building more treatment and rehabilitation centers to accommodate thousands of
drug surrenders needing residential services. Our president is still hoping that our fellow Filipinos will
turn their back from using illegal drugs for the betterment of our society.