Shame does not work anymore against drugs

The idea of shaming people by either posting notices on their homes that therein lives a drug suspect, or on the homes of their neighbors that their homes are free of drugs, while certain to make it to the news and merit some discussion by pundits, is not the way to fight the drug war. And it is not the way to fight the drug war because it does not work.

The shame campaign does not work because it springs from the premise that people who are into drugs can be shamed. No they cannot. If shame still worked at all on them, they would have kicked the habit long ago. It is not shame that will make them kick the habit but common sense. But since drugs inevitably wipes common sense away, then there is no way out for them except to get killed in the war, or get arrested alive to face the consequences.

It is, of course, so much better to escape with one's life. But there are many challenges facing government in this option. It takes a great deal of resources to take care of those taken alive in the drug war, and to rehabilitate them if that is even still feasible. But since the government cannot turn its back on this option, even if it means spending so much for so little expectations, the government should solicit the help of the private sector.

The private sector needs to step in and help the government in the war against illegal drugs because there is a practical reason why it must. Helping the government raises the chances that the country might still lick the drug problem. And if the country licks the drug problem, everybody benefits, including most of all the private sector. Economic and individual pursuits can have a much clearer path without drugs littering the way.

If that does not happen, then the killings will prevail and continue because that, unfortunately, is the easy and least expensive way out. Besides, the human mind is wired to take that which offers the least resistance. Also, and perhaps more importantly, the Philippines is Christian only by name. But many Filipinos have actually lost it, even perhaps without realizing it.

Drugs, killings -these are all against what God intended His creation to be. But why are these things happening, especially at this time when, ironically, never have churches and other places of worship been more packed and teeming with people. That is because drugs and killings have become matter-of-fact. Filipinos have accepted them as part of life. And the greatest failure of all? Our moral guardians have failed to rein in the flock. And we think shame works?