Drug users in Philippine parish get new lease of life

Jonathan Padrones has been hooked on illegal narcotics for years but is trying to “redeem” himself with the help of his parish church, he says.

Padrones, 44, said he first tried hydrochloride, a methamphetamine commonly known by its street name “shabu” in the Philippines, out of curiosity when he was in his 20s.

“I ended up getting hooked,” he said, adding this soon made him “public enemy number one” in his community.

Padrones said he would spend up to US$20 a day buying shabu. Eventually, he began peddling illegal drugs to sustain his addiction.

When President Rodrigo Duterte launched his “war against drugs” in 2016, Padrones was placed on a police watch-list.

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