CITY’S REHAB PROGRAM GOES ON
Mandaue City, being the pilot area of the DOH’s rehabilitation program, will continue with the activites, an official said
The Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) continued the weekly rehabilitation activities of the drug surrenderers, although Oplan Tokhang was indefinitely suspended by the president.
As of Jan. 19, the MCPO has 5,035 surrenderers from the 27 barangays in Mandaue. They promised to stop their illegal activities during the police’s intensive campaign against illegal drugs.
Officials of the MCPO thought of continuing the rehabilitation activities so former drug pushers and users will not return to their old ways.
During their regular rehab activity last Thursday, surrenderers had a Bible study, Zumba dance and a free meal at the MCPO grounds.
Chief Insp. Mercy Villaro, spokesperson of MCPO, said they are still very willing to accommodate drug personalities who express to surrender.
But after the Tokhang operation was suspended, Villaro said there were no new drug suspects that surrendered.
Villaro said they do not want to discontinue the MCPO’s rehabilitation activities because Mandaue was the pilot area of the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test Brief Intervention, a drug recovery program of the Department of Health.
“For me, Mandaue was the pilot area because the city is manageable,” she said in Cebuano.
Initially, 655 former drug pushers and users have finished the first phase of the program, which include a community rehabilitation.
For the second phase, they will undergo faith-based and general counseling. Some of them may be sent to the rehabilitation center, Villaro said.
Recently, the MCPO conducted an information and education campaign about child abuse, rape, human trafficking and illegal drugs to the students in Mandaue City Central School.
Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III yesterday said the campaign against illegal drugs in Cebu must continue despite the order for the Philippine National Police (PNP) to stop its operation.
Davide was about to accompany policemen in its “operation tokhang” in Cordova town and other cities and municipalities in Cebu Province when the President announced a suspension of anti-illegal drug operations to give way to the cleansing of the PNP of the scalawags.
“My plan to join operation tokhang was to show to the people that we are sincere in eradicating illegal drugs in Cebu,” Davide said.
Davide said he will meet with Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 head, to discuss their programs and activities against illegal drugs.
Davide has been appointed by Duterte to chair the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) while Taliño is the vice chairman.
My plan to join Operation Tokhang was to show to the people that we are sincere in eradicating illegal drugs in Cebu . CEBU GOV. HILARIO DAVIDE III REHAB PROGRAM There are about 655 former drug pushers and users that finished the first phase of Mandaue City’s rehab program.