The Enhanced Philippine Anti-Illegal Drugs Strategy (E-PADS) brings together a range of interventions, from prevention and treatment to rehabilitation, aftercare, and social reintegration. How these efforts work together becomes particularly relevant to probation and parole, where rehabilitation continues beyond the courtroom and into everyday life.
These connections were explored during the Leadership and Management Seminar on the Strategic Implementation of the E-PADS at the National and Local Levels, conducted by the Department of Justice – Parole and Probation Administration (DOJ-PPA) as part of its 50th Anniversary celebration.
DDB Deputy Executive Director for Operations – Assistant Secretary Ferdaussi Masnar, opened the technical sessions by examining the legal and policy foundations of the national response under Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. The discussion placed community supervision within a broader framework that recognizes prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, aftercare, reintegration, and research as complementary elements of drug policy.
Mr. Bryner Libunao from the DDB’s PADS Program Management Office examined the institutional dimension of the strategy, including how government agencies, local governments, civil society, communities, and other sectors contribute to its implementation. Within this framework, the DOJ-PPA’s work in community-based supervision, access to treatment and recovery services, restorative justice, and reintegration contributes to the national response.
Moving from policy and governance to practice, Chief of DDB Policy Studies, Research, and Statistics Division – Mr. Michael Miatari presented evidence-informed approaches to prevention and rehabilitation. These included family-focused interventions, life skills education, community-based treatment and rehabilitation, and support for psychosocial well-being, education, livelihood, aftercare, and social reintegration.
Rehabilitation extends beyond treatment. Family support, access to services, opportunities to regain stability, and meaningful participation in the community can all influence a person’s ability to sustain recovery and successfully reintegrate.
The seminar builds on the continuing partnership between the DDB and DOJ-PPA, bringing policy, community-based corrections, and evidence-informed practice into closer alignment in support of rehabilitation, recovery, and reintegration under E-PADS.
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