There are more than 3 million drug users in the Philippines today and the number is growing. Even more frightening is that 65 to 70 percent of reported crimes are drug related.

But all is not lost. In the “Wild West” of the Philippines, Masbate, drug users, alcoholics and gamblers are being tamed in an unusual farm handled by former volunteer-addicts--Fazenda da Esperanca or Farm of Hope. Fresh from Brazil, Germany and Switzerland, the volunteers took on the gargantuan task of rehabilitating Filipino addicts without knowing how to speak English and Filipino.

Unlike other rehabilitation centers where patients are kept in rooms or cells and where relatives have to pay for the rehabilitation of their loved one, wards of the Fazenda da Esperanca roam free in the 352 hectares of the farm. It is open and free to addicts who willingly give themselves to be rehabilitated.

Set among the rolling hills of Masbate, wards are treated to the hard and often challenging life of running a farm--growing vegetables, herding and milking cows and selling their produce in the local market. The staff of Fazenda and the wards only eat what they grow. Fazenda believes that their wards can overcome addiction by giving them work on the farm and guiding them spiritually.

Even more inspiring in this unique rehabilitation center are the stories of the former volunteer-addicts and the wards. There is a Brazilian banker, Mauricio Bovo, who was addicted to cocaine. After being rehabilitated in a Fazenda Center in Brazil, he sold his possessions and took his family to the Philippines to live and volunteer in the Fazenda in Masbate.

And then there is Nonoy, a 14 year old orphan hooked on rugby. Fazenda took him in and introduced him to farm life. Nonoy has successfully kicked his addiction with the help Mauricio and his wife Karla, who have become the former rugby boy’s surrogate parents.

Probe reporter, Cheche Lazaro visits and experiences life in the Farm of Hope during their preparation for Christmas. From the volunteers and wards, she feels the true message of this season: there is a brighter side to everything bad, all we need is to give hope and love to those around us.

NOTE: This documentary was aired on December 22, 2005 over ABS-CBN.

The Probe Team, is known for fearlessly exposing the hard truths in Philippine society. No non-sense and hard-hitting, Probe tackles pressing societal concerns through the eyes of various stakeholders and calls a spade a spade. It engenders a deeper understanding and appreciation of issues by way of stories that capture the hearts and minds of viewers.

Probe has produced a wide array of stories – from politics and other societal concerns to investigative reports and feature segments on the environment, economy, children and women, culture and the arts. The stories are given in-depth treatment and presented weekly to the public in three intense and interesting segments.

Under the tutelage of Cheche Lazaro, founding president of Probe, the program has earned both local and international recognition. Probe has won no less than 50 trophies from different award giving bodies, including the New York Festival for Television and Film, Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival and the Southeast Asian Foundation for Children’s Television.

A university professor-turned-broadcast journalist, Lazaro herself has earned the same accolades and remains as a respected figure in Philippine mass media both as a teacher and media practitioner. Her leadership has helped mold and prepare Probe alumni for work in prestigious media organizations such as CNN, Reuters, National Geographic and Discovery Channel.

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