P563-M for drug rehab expansion

AS the nation gets ready to mark Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week, Surigao del Sur Second District Representative Johnny T. Pimentel yesterday said the national government has earmarked another P563 million to upgrade public drug treatment and rehabilitation centers (TRCs) in 2018.

Pimentel wants Fort Magsaysay Mega treatment and rehabilitation center (TRC) to confine drug dependents who escape from other centers as well as those undergoing rehab for the second time.

“The fresh funding will be spent to expand the capacity of 14 residential drug TRCs across the country to enable them to accommodate additional admissions,” Pimentel, a member of the House appropriations committee, said.

“The new money is specifically for the ‘health facilities enhancement’ of 14 TRCs, and not for their maintenance and operations, which have a separate budget,” Pimentel said.

The lawmaker said the P563 million for next year is on top of the P570 million available this year to improve the facilities of 16 government-run TRCs.

Pimentel said the P563 million for next year has been set aside to develop the facilities of public TRCs in: Bicutan, Taguig City (P172.14 million); San Fernando City, La Union (P25.96 million); Dagupan City (P25.00 million); Ilagan, Isabela (P34.70 million); Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija (P20.00 million); San Fernando, Camarines Sur (P50.60 million); Malinao, Albay (P29.77 million); Pototan, Iloilo (P57.06 million); Argao, Cebu (P24.20 million); Cebu City south district (P25.00 million); Cebu (P13.00 million); Dulag, Leyte (P11.73 million); Cagayan de Oro City (P17.91 million); and Surigao City (P55.50 million).

Pimentel, meanwhile, said the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) should put to good use the 10,000bed Mega TRC in Fort Magsaysay built through a

P1.4-billion donation of Chinese real estate tycoon Huang Rulan.

“Our proposal is for the DDB on a case-to-case basis to file the appropriate petitions in court so that drug dependents who escape from the centers where they were originally supposed to undergo treatment, may be subsequently committed to Fort Mag once they surrender, or once they are surrendered by their families, within the oneweek deadline prescribed by law,” Pimentel said.

“There are many drug dependents who voluntarily submit to confinement and rehabilitation, but who later flee from centers. The problem is real. In fact, the Dangerous Drugs Law itself has a provision especially dealing with escapees from centers,” Pimentel said.