200 FORMER DRUG DEPENDENTS COMPLETE REHAB IN ERMITA
AROUND 200 drug surrenderers in Barangay Ermita, Cebu City have completed a three-month community-based drug rehabilitation program initiated by the City Office Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap) after another batch of 19 persons graduated on Thursday, May 13, 2021.
Ermita is one of the barangays in Cebu City affected by the problem of illegal drugs.
Ermita Barangay Captain Mark Miral, one of the persons who pushed for the program, said nearly 200 former drug dependents have been rehabilitated, and there are still dependents who are enrolled in an ongoing three-month community-based drug rehabilitation program.
Miral said they regularly conduct a surprise drug test to make sure that the former users undergoing rehab will not go back to their old ways.
The village chief admitted that some tested positive for using illegal drugs, while most were serious about changing their lives.
One of the drug surrenderers, Maricel Manatad, thanked Cosap and the groups involved in the rehabilitation program. She said she has mended her ways, ditching her history of addiction despite her poverty.
She promised that her transformation will continue for his three children. She also called the City Government to help her find a livelihood.
Cosap head Jonah John Rodriguez said they will check their funds for the purpose of providing livelihood assistance to former drug dependents.
In the past, Cebu City gave P3,000 for each surrenderer.
The Cebu City Police Office lauded the efforts made by the barangay officials to reduce the users of illegal drugs in Ermita.