The implementation of the Yakap Bayan Program (YBP), the social reintegration program for recovering persons who use drugs (RPWUDs), has been institutionalized in 38 areas in the country.
This was after the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) inked a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with 38 local government units (LGUs) from 12 regions for the institutionalization of the YBP implementation in their respective areas.
"With the forging of the agreement, the DSWD commits to provide the LGUs with technical assistance and resource augmentation in order to assist them in instituting the YBP to address the needs of the RPWUDs in their localities. Part of the technical assistance is the conduct of orientation, consultation, and various trainings for the YBP program implementers,” the DSWD said in a statement.
“The DSWD will also help the LGUs in the provision of appropriate interventions and programs for the RPWUDs as needed, like skills training and livelihood opportunities under the Sustainable Livelihood Program,” it added.
The social welfare agency said the YBP is a holistic intervention to assist RPWUDs in their recovery journey from surrendering, to treatment or rehabilitation, to aftercare, and to social reintegration to their families and communities.
It entails the provision of aftercare services, such as relapse prevention sessions, counselling sessions, health and fitness therapy, spiritual interventions, and skills training, among others, to improve the well-being and social functioning of RPWUDs, it said.
The MOA tasks the LGUs to enact local resolutions in support of the YBP implementation and its sustainability.
The LGUs are also expected to allocate funds for the program institutionalization.
"The funds will support services such as counseling sessions, health and fitness therapy, spiritual interventions, skills training, and capacity-building to ensure successful reintegration of the RPUWDs in their families and communities,” the DSWD said.
Under the MOA, the LGUs are mandated to establish and strengthen their local Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) to lead in the overall implementation of the program with a multi-disciplinary team and a dedicated social worker who will serve as case manager, it said.
"Through the institutionalization of the program in each LGU, the RPWUDs in their locality will have the opportunity to better themselves and become productive members of their community, and even become local leaders,” the DSWD said.
The agency said the 38 LGUs that signed the agreement came from Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Soccksargen, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and Caraga.
"With more LGUs recognizing the need for the YBP, the DSWD hopes that more RPWUDS will be transformed from former drug users to productive members of their families. In implementing the YBP, our nation will be a step closer towards freeing the community from the clutches of illegal drugs,” it said.