TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Sept 2 (PIA) – With nearly 40,000 persons who used drugs (PWUD) and not even half completing the community-based drug rehabilitation, and over 60% of barangays cleared from drugs, what else could Bohol do to hasten its being declared drug free?
For Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Bohol Field Officer Agent Ferdinand Kintanar, Bohol is on the right track but putting up a drug rehabilitation facility could help local government units in getting drug-cleared.
Speaking at the Kapihan sa PIA, agent Kintanar, who coordinates for the local oversight committee recalled that 39,319 Boholanos who used drugs surrendered to authorities when then President Rodrigo Duterte called for their surrender.
While some of them who were so deep in trouble, had to be sent to proper medical facilities to treat their addiction, the rest had to be sent to some form of rehabilitation to make sure they can get past their craving, on to a more productive endeavor.
For Bohol, an innovative provincial government program on community based drug rehabilitation program without walls (CBRP WoW) was set up and started accepting drug rehabilitation after getting them to Alcohol, Smoking, Substance Involvement Screening Test and some brief intervention (ASSIST BI).
According to authorities, some 16,143 Boholanos who surrendered as PWUDs enrolled and completed of in some ways, are expected to complete the program, after the years of surrendering.
This leaves some 16,168 PWUDs who may have surrendered, but have opted off the CBRP WOW seeing lesser options but every into drug use, observers said.
For these people, agent Kintanar said a rehabilitation facility could have helped them walk their way out of the dependency, which now has possibly bloomed into a full-scale addiction.
According to the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No. 2 series of 2018, Balay Silangan answers the need for reformatory rehabilitation of PWUDs as opposed to those who would need medical rehabilitation.
By reformatory rehabilitation, the DDB means rectifying or modifying negative attitude and behavior to enable the person to be more productive and acceptable to the society.
For the DDB, the need for a family-based in house reformation for drug offenders is answered by the Balay Silangan, which shall serve as the instrument for the reformation of drug personalities who avail of plea bargaining in the light of the Supreme Court decisions, as alternative intervention for drug personalities who are not eligible for admission in Department of Health supervised treatment and rehabilitation facilities.
And while Balay Silangan uses the same community based and community involvement strategy of convergence, it has also to have necessary infrastructure necessary for the program, such as classrooms, sleeping areas, shower and toilet, mess areas and pantry, library, DOH accredited and monitored clinic and sports and recreation areas.
For this, human resources would also be a complement to act as personnel and subject matter experts for the program in accordance with the requirements of the Program of Instruction.
Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, during the recent Provincial Anti Drug Abuse Council Meeting said he would take a look at the need for such, considering also that two administrations before him did not put up the said facility.
Over this too, PDEA stressed that drug clearing of LGUS can be facilitated when a facility that can serve PWUDS and plea-bargaining beneficiaries would be aptly served their reformatory rehab needs.
In fact, Agent Kintanar said a facility acts as a critical service point in the drug clearing program of the government. (rahc/PIA_7/Bohol)
