Davao Oriental – The Province of Davao Oriental has opened the year 2021 with successful rehabilitation progress of drug users in Community Drug Rehabilitation Program and drug pushers in Project Tulay program.
Thirty-one Persons Who Used Drugs (PWUDs) or drug dependents have completed their six-month rehabilitation and treatment at the Balay Silangan: Bagong Bahay Para sa Bagong Buhay Reformation and Outreach Drop-in Center on February 4, 2021.
The graduates consisting of thirty out-patients and one in-patient are beneficiaries of the government’s plea-bargaining program. They are also the second batch of PWUDs who graduated from Balay Silangan with the third batch having already started rehabilitation and is expected to graduate in May.
The Community Based Drug Rehabilitation Program is designed for PWUDs in recovery to help them reintegrated back into their community.
According to J.J. Valderrama Behavioral Management Center CEO, Jerry Joseph C. Valderrama, the PWUDs go through two stages: First is a 1-month Community Based Drug Rehabilitation Program followed by a 6-month After Care Program.
Likewise, 30 Persons Trading Illegal Drugs (PTIDs) or drug pushers have completed their first phase of the recovery program on March 19, 2021 at Balay Silangan.
This first phase is a 12-day in-house clinical intervention designed to give safe space for the PTIDs while providing essential clinical interventions such as psychoeducation, group therapy, motivational interviewing, and cognitive-behavior therapy.
According to Valderrama, there are three stages that the PTIDs go through in the recovery program; after the first phase, the next stages are a 1-month Community Based Rehabilitation Program (CBRP) and a 6-month Aftercare Program.
The Balay Silangan Reformation Center is run by the provincial government of Davao Oriental and it is the first Balay Silangan operating in the entire Davao Region.
It is managed by the JJV Behavioral Management Center and is designed to reform drug offenders into productive and law-abiding members of the community which is made possible through the efforts and collaboration of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) and other concerned agencies and local government units crucial for the successful implementation of the program.
During a previous meeting on February 1, 2021, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Davao Oriental Provincial Officer, IA3 Eleazar Arapocthe, said that the province has a total of 8,578 drug surrenders “this year” of which 3,151 individuals have completed the Community Based Drug Rehabilitation Program and the remaining 4, 853 individuals are the candidates for CBDRP enrolment.
(Jan Vincent Leuterio, PIA-XI | Mark Oliver Alvite, DavOr PIO | Michael Manguhig, RPN DXKT Davao OIC)
