TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines- The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Iguig town assured the 19 illegal drug surrenderers under the PNP’s ‘Oplan Tokhang’ that there is still life after drugs should they completed the community-based rehabilitation program (CBRP).
Police Sr. Inspector Jeorge Jacob, acting chief of police in Iguig, said every drug surrenderer deserves to be given the chance to go back to mainstream society and be transformed into a better and productive individual.
Jacob said the CBRP is a holistic approach focusing on the healing of the surrenderer’s body, mind and soul through counselling, therapeutic sessions and other interventions.
Under the program, Jacob said the surrenderers will be exposed to series of zumba activities to attain physical fitness, moral and spiritual recovery, clean-up drive and gardening activities in their respective homes and communities, drug symposium, film viewing, among others.
“We are optimistic that these drug surrenderers will be motivated and totally turn away from the use of illegal drugs and focus more on their family and livelihood activities,” he said.
Jacob added that after completing the 10-cycle requirement of the CBRP, surrenderers will be subjected to another drug test to ensure that they have been drug-free after their voluntary surrender to authorities.
He likewise commended the commitment showed by the town’s surrenderers to undergo rehab program as he urged the community and other sectors to support them in their reformation.
Jacob said the community should let the surrenderers feel the spirit of belongingness which will drive them to become better persons and not to look or consider them as problem of the society.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Region 2 now included the 100 percent attendance of surrenderers in the CBRP as one of the requirements for the declaration of a barangay or town as drug-free. Gene Baquiran/PIA-2 Cagayan
