648 former drug users complete community-based rehabilitation program in Baguio

BAGUIO CITY – The City Social Welfare and Development Office reported that some 648 former drug personalities completed their six-month community-based rehabilitation program that allowed them to be immersed back with the mainstream society and live normal lives.

Social Worker Officer Ellen Dayag said there were some 719 former drug offenders from different barangays in the city who initially availed of the community-based rehabilitation program for them to recover from the effects of the use of illegal drugs.

Dayag said those who did not complete the program reportedly experienced relapse but efforts are still being undertaken by the concerned agencies and the city government to bring them back to the program to spare them from the dangers of drug use.

Dayag said the government agency has been providing psycho-social treatment to the reported drug offenders, many of them classified as low risk, some medium risk while a good number of them were categorized as high risk.

According to Dayag, drug dependents who are low risk shall undergo a 30-day rehabilitation program administered by concerned experts duly accredited by the CSWDO, Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), while medium risk will have to undergo a six-month integrated participatory community-based rehabilitation program.

Those in the high risk category are subjected to voluntary and involuntary residential treatment that will extend for a longer period of time to allow for their recovery from their addiction.

Dayag said there are enough private residential facilities that cater to the rehabilitation needs of drug dependents since there is no public residential drug treatment facility in the Summer Capital.

The number of former drug users who underwent the required community-based rehabilitation program is way below the 2,554 that voluntarily surrendered to police authorities during the implementation of the enhanced anti-drug campaign of the previous administration.

Dayag said that the CSWDO, BCPO and PDEA continue to provide the appropriate interventions to individuals who need to recover from the impact of the use of illegal drugs for them to recover, rejoin society and live a normal life.