Gov’t launches Rehabinasyon 

For Central Visayas in Cebu 

CEBU CITY, March 23, (PIA)—The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) brings to the Visayas its campaign of social mobilization hoping to snowball a national community-based movement towards a drug-free Philippines. 

The national government launches in Cebu its flagship community-based drug clearing program in Rehabinasyon, March 24 at the Mactan Island Mall, at 1:00 PM with national officials including the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Department of Health and other concerned agencies. 

“Rehabinasyon,” a word coined from rehabilitation and nation, is a government rehabilitation program that focuses largely on taking a holistic approach in anti drugs by getting to community interventions towards the rehabilitation of drug surrenderers, according to ICAD. 

ICAD was formed by virtue of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Executive Order No. 15, and wit it operating under the office, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) sits as the committee chair. 

A month ago, Health Undersecretary Roger Tong-an of the Health Services Development of the Department of Health mentioned during the National Information Convention in Davao that of the country’s drug surrenderers, about 95% needs community support while only a very few need the compulsory drug rehabilitation. 

Subsequent processing by determining their degrees of affectation proved that most drug ‘surrenderers’ are from low to mild drug users while only less than 10% are severe cases and would require medical attention and clinical rehabilitation. 

The Philippines adopted a World Health Organization approved protocol called Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) Brief Intervention (BI) to determine degrees of affectation of a drug user and thus determine the level of intervention applicable to the self confessed drug user. 

To those severe cases of persons who use drugs (PWUD) needing confinement, the Philippines intends to build a network of drug rehabilitation centers, several are already up like the one in Nueva Ecija, another one in Samal Island in Davao del Norte while another one is slated to rise in Bohol anytime. 

Earlier too, then Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella was quoted saying that the drug menace has become more than just a national security issue, and it must be treated as a public health concern, a social concern and a total concern. 

All of these efforts, he added, is a country that is drug-free to ensure a better future for the Philippine families and especially the youth. 

The launching would orient about a thousand individuals of the country’s programs and how it intends to deal with those PWUDs that have been assessed and are now awaiting their next steps before they can be cleared of their drug problems. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)