To ensure a standard policy in the treatment of persons who use drugs (PWUDs) in Mandaluyong City, the local government passed an ordinance institutionalizing a rehabilitation program for PWUDs known as “Oplan Lingap.”
Ordinance No. 920, series of 2023, approved and signed by Acting City Mayor Carmelita Abalos last April 14, lays out the policies and procedures for “PWUDs who surrendered to the authorities, including those who availed of plea bargaining, voluntary submission under the ‘Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act’ (Republic Act No. 9165, Section 54), or compulsory confinement under Section 61 of RA No. 9165.”
The ordinance aims to improve the “Oplan Lingap” program that was first launched by former Mayor Benjamin Abalos Jr. during his term from 1998 to 2001.
According to Oplan Lingap, PWUD surrenderers will first undergo documentations, interviews, and verification, facilitated by drug officers of Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADAC) and law enforcement.
PWUDs will then be screened and assessed by paramedical workers of the City Health Department to determine the proper intervention for them. The screening will use the “Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), and the World Health Organization (WHO) Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ).
PWUDs who are 18 years old and below will be referred to a licensed social worker.
PWUDs with psychiatric or medical complications will be referred to a mental health or medical professional, who will manage the treatment for those issues simultaneously with the drug use.
Those who have been found to have “low risk for drug dependence” after the screening process will be given a general communicative intervention method such as FRAMES (feedback, responsibility, advice, menu options, empathy and self-efficiency and motivational interviewing model, individual and family programs, psychoeducation, and psycho/socio/spiritual support, with the assistance of civil society organizations (CSOs) or self-help groups.
Those who will fall under the “moderate risk for drug dependence” assessment will undergo community-based treatment like case management with individual treat plan, psychoeducation or advocacy, counseling or coaching, education or employment support, and relapse management.
PWUDs who are at a “high risk for drug dependence” will be referred the PWUD for Drug Dependency Examination, which will diagnose them with “mild, moderate, or severe substance-use disorder.”
Patients diagnosed with mild and moderate substance-use disorder may be referred to undergo the general interventions or community-based treatment.
If determined to have severe substance-use disorder, “patients shall undergo detoxification when necessary and shall be referred to an in-patient facility accredited by the Department of Health (DOH) that utilize biopsychosocial spiritual approaches,” according to the ordinance.
The ordinance also details the processes for the temporary release, aftercare, and reintegration program of PWUDs who have been admitted to centers, as well as recommitment to the program, supervision and monitoring of PWUD treatment, and escape or non-completion of the program.
Drug-free workplace
In line with “Oplan Lingap,” the local government also previously passed Ordinance No. 919, series of 2023, to institutionalize the “Drug-Free Workplace Ordinance of Mandaluyong City.”
It aims to “ensure that all public officers, both elective and appointive, remain drug-free through the conduct of authorized drug testing and to assure the public of effective service from the government, free from the ill-effects of drug use in the workplace.”
Headed by the Mandaluyong Anti-Drug Abuse Council (MADAC), a drug-free workplace committee will be created, along with an assessment team.
They will establish employee assistance programs, lead pre-employment and continuing requirement of employment drug testing, and employee intervention program.
The ordinance was passed and signed by Acting Mayor Abalos last April 14.