Hontiveros to Duterte: Drug addiction, slavery not the same

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday said President Rodrigo Duterte trivialized other people’s suffering when he compared drug addicts to African slaves.

"This is the height of absurdity," she said in a statement. "The president tries to make light of slavery, which is universally frowned upon and condemned. His remarks were callous, insensitive and uninformed."

In a speech Thursday after the oath-taking of newly promoted police officers, Duterte said African slaves are better than drug addicts who he said are enslaved by chemicals.

Hontiveros, however, pointed out that drug addiction and slavery are not the same.

"Abuse is abuse. Whether drug addiction or slavery, the lives of the people that are trapped in these circumstances are incomparable. It is wrong to trivialize people's suffering and judge which situation is 'better' than the other," she said.

She then urged Duterte to stop ostracizing drug addicts.

"First it was the Holocaust, now it's slavery. When will this madness stop? I remind the president that drug addiction is a public health concern. Ostracizing drug addicts only make it extra difficult for the government to fully rehabilitate and reintegrate them back into society," she said.

Hontiveros was referring to Duterte's statement in September 2016 where he said he is willing to do to criminals in the country what Adolf Hitler did to the Jews during the Holocaust.

After the Jewish community expressed dismay over his remarks, Duterte apologized and even visited a synagogue in Makati City.

In her statement, Hontiveros said what drug addicts need "are appropriate health care interventions to manage and stop their addiction."

"The government should also recognize their right to decent work as a response to the roots of their dependence," she said. "The president should stop making it seem like drug dependents are better off sent to gas chambers or slave ships." —Trisha Macas/KBK, GMA News