QUEZON City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte on Wednesday said at least 500 former drug dependents have been provided with work at the ongoing construction of the Metro Rail Transit line 7.
More former drug personalities who surrendered and completely recovered are now being processed by the city government for other job and livelihood opportunities, she said.
“We’re quite proud of them because they persevered to change their ways. And this is what we have been trying to prove—all people indeed deserve a second chance,” she added.
The former drug users were hired through an agreement signed between the Quezon City Anti-Drug Abuse Advisory Council, which Belmonte ichairs, and the conglomerate San Miguel Corp.
SMC through its subsidiary Universal LRT Corp. BVI was chosen by the Department of Transportation to build the 22.8-kilometer, P62.7-billion MRT line 7 project to take at least three years to finish.
The 500 ex-drug dependents were among the 2,000 drug surrenderers who completed the community-based drug rehabilitation program of the QC anti-drug council and were subsequently taken out of the drug watch lists, the vice mayor said.
“We are really thankful to the private sector. They are really supportive,” she said.
About 16,000 have surrendered to QCADAAC and the Quezon City Police District through the Oplan Tokhang of the Philippine National Police.