DAVAO CITY—The Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) has started to implement reform programs for drug users and dependents who voluntarily surrendered for rehabilitation aimed at restoring their lives and well-being.
CADAC action officer Michael Denton Aportadera said that they are aiming to reach out to all religious sectors to help their campaign on providing spiritual awareness and giving a different future for the drug surenderees in the city.
“The involvement of the spiritual aspects is very important, we have our Muslim brothers and sisters, the Catholic, Protestant and even the Buddhist willing to help if ever there is a need for them to seek spiritual guidance,” he said.
Aportadera said that the religious sector will help them get back on their faith as they reform themselves out from drug addiction.
Aportadera though clarified, that there will be no indoctrination involved.
He said that this is also one of their answers to the statement of President Rodrigo Duterte that the church should help the drug addicts to go on the right path of life.
He said that they will help restore the moral as well as spiritual aspects of the lives of the drug reformists through the recently established Tabangan Ang Reformist Aron Naay Asenso (Help the reformist to have an improvement) or “TARA NA.”
“We will bring them reform through the TARA NA project we will do the necessary assessments and screening of each and every surenderees, prior to their inclusion in the program, to ensure that they all receive appropriate attention and guidance Aportadera said”.
The TARA NA program is under the umbrella of the Davao City Community-Based Rehabilitation Aftercare Program for Persons with Substance Use Disorder.
Aportadera said that the community based efforts will likewise provide reformists initial livelihood and educational opportunities for deserving reformists.
The CBRAP aims to revive the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) in all 183 barangays in the city to help assist the needs of the reformist in their respective communities and step up efforts to eradicate illegal drug use in their locales.
Out of the 183 barangays, only 46 of them have activated their BADAC.
As part of the program, the Davao City Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Drug Dependents aims to improve and expand their facility through the private-public partnership with the Resorts World (RW) Manila.
RW Manila has started the initial development and construction of a rehabilitation center for drug dependents recently.
