The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has signed an agreement with with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in a bid to further boost the country’s community-based drug rehabilitation programs (CBDP).
In the agreement signed on Wednesday, May 3, the deal hopes to strengthen the government’s “Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan (BIDA)” program by providing logistical support for social behavior change communication (SBCC) and CBDR.
Under the deal, the DILG will receive various CBDR materials and learning modules from USAID RenewHealth, which will then be distributed to the country’s local government units (LGUs).
The USAID will also provide capacity building and information management platforms and evidence-based policies and guidelines for CBDR.
DILG Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. stated that the undertakings under the partnership will include dissemination of research and sharing of best practices to substance use prevention and reintegration; and capacity-building for CBDR program managers and service providers of local government units.
"As we continue to roll out the BIDA program in various sectors nationwide, I am very pleased to have the support of international agencies such as USAID. We thank USAID for sharing our vision and helping in our efforts to rehabilitate persons who use drugs and combating illegal drugs in the communities," Abalos said.
The DILG will lead the dissemination and co-branding of USAID's SBCC and CBDR materials as part of the BIDA program and the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs websites, including the staging of advocacy events and CBDR capacity-building activities with LGUs and other stakeholders.
The USAID's RenewHealth project started in 2019 with the goal of promoting social integration and increased accessibility of drug treatment and rehabilitation within the community.
Meanwhile, the BIDA program is the government's holistic approach to deal with illegal drugs which focuses on sustaining the initiatives to lower the demand and supply of illegal drugs through a multi-sectoral scheme in coordination with the law enforcement authorities.