Sanlakbay para sa Pagbabagong Buhay,” a drug-rehabilitation and restoration program of the Catholic Church, will be launched on Sunday, October 23, at the Manila Cathedral.
His Eminence Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, DD, will preside the Eucharistic celebration at 10 a.m., and will lead the launch of the program at 11 a.m.
Sanlakbay is a preventive program of the Restorative Justice Ministry of Caritas Manila in partnership with the Mamamayang Ayaw sa Anomalya, Mamamayang Ayaw sa Iligal na Droga in the community. It aims to reach out to drug surrenderers and their families by providing them values formation, counseling, sports and cultural and livelihood programs toward healing, rehabilitation and restoration.
It brings together the resources in the parish community and coordinates with the local government units, particularly with the barangays, to facilitate effectively and efficiently the implementation of the rehabilitation process.
The rehabilitation program will be set up in different parishes to reach more people. The general orientation for all parish volunteers from Pasay, Makati, Mandaluyong and San Juan has already been conducted at the Santa Clara de Montefalco Parish on October 15. The second orientation will be held today, October 22, at the Santa Isabel College for volunteers from Manila City parishes.
Sanlakbay program is the response of the Catholic Church to the rising concern in handling the influx of thousands of drug surrenderers resulting from the present administration’s war on illegal drugs. According to the official record of the Philippine National Police, there had been 734,231 illegal-drugs pushers and users who surrendered in Oplan Tokhang as of October 6.
In his letter, “According to which an indulgence is granted to the faithful on the occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy,” Pope Francis said “the Jubilee Year has always constituted an opportunity for great amnesty, which is intended to include the many people who, despite deserving punishment, have become conscious of the injustice they worked and sincerely wish to reenter society and make their honest contribution to it.”
The Sanlakbay program involves Caritas Manila’s Restorative Justice Ministry, Center for Family Ministries, University of Santo Tomas Graduate School Psycho-Trauma, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Caritas Manila, the social-development arm of the Archdiocese of Manila, runs the Restorative Justice Prison Ministry intended to the development of the prisoners and the correctional community based on the principles of Restorative Justice.
The program conducts (Pa-Release-Me): paralegal assistance, religious studies (Bible study, catechesis), livelihood training, education, advocacy, services for social action and medical assistance.
Caritas Manila is still accepting volunteers, for inquiries, call 562-0020-25, local 31; or e-mail volcaritas_manila@yahoo.com.
*****
To know more about Caritas Manila, visit www.caritasmanila.org.ph. For your donations, please call our DonorCare lines 563-9311, 564-0205, 0999-7943455, 0905-4285001 and 0929-8343857. Make it a habit to listen to Radio Veritas 846 in the AM band, or through live streaming at www.veritas846.ph. For comments, e-mail veritas846pr@gmail.com.