Second chances

Bencyrus Ellorin

LAST Monday, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) visited Cagayan de Oro City to assess the city’s community-based drug treatment program based on DDB regulation no. 4.

DDB regulation no. 4 provides for the guidelines on what to do with surrendering drug users. This is the sister of the more popular and/or infamous Oplan Double Barrel, which has been loosely referred to as “Tokhang” (toktok hangyo).

The community-based drug treatment program of the city is anchored on the Oro Citizen’s Wellness and Development Center. This facility is a creation of the City Anti Drug Abuse Council (Cadac) headed by retired general and Councilor Romeo Calizo. Since it opened its doors in January this year, the center has already served over a thousand surrendering drug users from 51 Cagayan de Oro barangays. This, no doubt is a modest achievement.

According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Northern Mindanao, Cagayan de Oro has around 7,000 surrendering drugs users and pushers.

Among the services of the Oro Wellness Center screens are counseling, referral and/or processing of applications for petitions for confinement of drug dependents for treatment and rehabilitation.

It is important for people, especially families who have members hooked in illegal drugs, to be aware that those who want to stop using illegal drugs have a refuge. They can go to the Oro Wellness Center where they can be be given counseling, and for severe drug dependence, they can be referred to rehabilitation centers.

Cagayan de Oro, along with Davao, Iligan and Butuan cities have been chosen by the DDB for benchmarking. The DDB wants to assess if Regulation no. 4 is being followed, what are the intricacies of its implementation and more importantly the innovation resulting in successful implementation of the community-based treatment approach.

For Cagayan de Oro, Mayor Oscar Moreno wants a community-based approach. While City Hall through the Cadac and the City Social Welfare and Development Office provide the services, he wants other sectors to participate. This is consistent with the mayor’s bridging leadership.

Calizo is very optimistic that direct leadership of a Cadac whose membership cuts across stakeholders and community participation would be crucial success factors in the city’s anti drug abuse campaign.

While admittedly, more work still needs to done to reach out to those hooked to illegal drugs, the platform for them to take on life’s second chance are being worked out.