___________________________________________________ESSAY FROM FORMER PARTICIPANT OF
148TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE__________________________________________________DRUG OFFENDER TREATMENT: NEW APPROACHES TO AN OLD PROBLEM
Gilbert D Peremne, DR Dev.
One of the best journeys that I considered in my career as a Jail Officer andmember of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for almost 28 years
now is to be one of the participants of the 148th International Training Course, whichwas conducted by the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute (UNAFEI) way back
11 May up to 17 June 2011 in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan.
Although there were two slots slated for the Philippines that time as sponsoredby the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Asia Crime Prevention
Foundation (ACPF), but I was the lone representative of my country joining with 17
other participants, whom eight were from Japan, three from Thailand, two fromMaldives, one from South Korea, one from Indonesia, one from Sudan, and one fromAfghanistan. We were divided in two groups and in Group 2, I was the designatedRapporteur. Our group was tasked to come-up with an output on Effective
Interventions for Drug-Dependent Offenders.
My over-all stay, from day 1 until the completion of the course, was indeed
memorable in terms of experiences and productive in terms of learning. I appreciatedthe Japanese Culture of caring their guests and visitors in various occasions andsettings. The training course was conducted and facilitated very well by offeringvarious facets of exposures such as in classroom, field visits and educational tours.
Notable to mention that contributed to the success of training were the entire UNAFEI
Staffs - from the Director to assigned Advisers and down to Kitchen/ Mess Hall
Attendants, including Interpreters and Representatives from JICA.
The Theme of the 148th International Training Course was “Drug Offender
Treatment: New Approaches to an Old Problem.” It was very relevant to my job as aJail Officer. The main idea of pursuing this particular theme was well articulated by noless than Tatsuya Sakuma, the Director of UNAFEI during that period.
With notable inputs from the following: Anne Bergenstrom, Visiting Expert fromUnited Nation Office on Drug and Crimes (UNODC); Country-Study Reports presented
by other co-participants; lectures from in-house UNAFEI Professors; and Resource
Speakers from various prestigious universities and organizations in Japan – I was able
to learn more information about Therapeutic Community; Cognitive Behavior Therapy
and various models in the effective treatment of drug-dependent offenders. Various
resource materials were also provided to be used as guide and reference.

In applying all my learnings for the benefit of drug dependents or persons withstimulant dependency, my Team under my supervision and direction crafted a Manualon Specialized Psychological and Emotional Component Sessions (SPECS). This was
utilized for almost a decade already in 38 jail units under our operational jurisdiction
and benefitted more than 2,000 Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) already.
The SPECS Program are series of 12 gatherings that provides a structured
approach for individual or offenders with dependency on stimulant drugs and detainedin our jail facilities. This is being handled by a professional Counselors.
At present, in close coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency(PDEA) in Western Visayas Region, Philippines, the SPECS Program is also offeredin BALAY SILANGAN Projects, which were established by various Local Government
Units (LGUs) and benefitted hundreds of mild drug users who seek support from thecommunity for their treatment and rehabilitation.
This innovation of the BJMP Regional Office VI SPECS Team is ourcontribution to the government’s relentless effort in addressing drug problems.

Hereunder is shared pictorial:

In the first and third rows are Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) who completed
the Specialized Psychological and Emotional Component Sessions (SPECS) Programin tableau with the Program Implementers and Staffs of Metro Bacolod District JailMale Dormitory Annex, Bacolod City, Philippines (all in the third row). In the middle ofsecond row is Jail Senior Superintendent Gilbert D Peremne, participant of the 148th
International Training Course.

In the first and third rows are Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) who completed
the Specialized Psychological and Emotional Component Sessions (SPECS) Programin tableau with the Program Implementers and Staffs of Metro Bacolod District Jail
Female Dormitory, Bacolod City, Philippines (all in the third row). Sixth from left in thesecond row is Jail Senior Superintendent Gilbert D Peremne, participant of the 148thInternational Training Course.