Go renews call for establishment of drug rehab center in every province
The 10-hectare Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija is the first to be built in the country under the Duterte administration. (JOAN BONDOC / INQUIRER)
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go renewed his call for the establishment of a drug rehabilitation center in every province in the country.
Go has refiled Senate Bill No. 428 which seeks to assist the recovery of drug dependents by creating Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in provinces.
“Drug addicts should be treated as victims in desperate need of medical, psychological, and spiritual assistance, with the goal of reintegrating back into society as healthy and productive citizens,” Go said in a statement on Tuesday.
Senator Bong Go (Contributed photo)
“Dapat bigyan po natin sila ng pagkakataon ng panibagong buhay,” Go added.
(Let us give them a chance at a new life.)
Under the proposed bill, the Department of Health will supervise the establishment of rehabilitation centers.
Among others, the rehabilitation center shall:
– Provide care, treatment, and accommodation to drug dependents
– Enhance their physical, psychological, and social capability to cope with common problems
– Provide after-care, follow-up and social reintegration services
Go cited the anti-illegal drug war of former President Rodrigo Duterte, noting that it needs to be continued as the drug war was also able to address issues of criminality and corruption.
“Kapag nako-contain mo ‘yung illegal drugs, kasama na diyan ‘yung criminality at ‘yung korapsyon. ‘Pag lumala ‘yung drugs, babalik ‘yung criminality, at tataas ‘yung korapsyon–makokorap na po ‘yung tao,” Go said.
(When you contain illegal drugs, it also includes criminality and corruption. When the illegal drugs problem worsens, so will criminality and corruption.)
Go, who also heads the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said the elimination of drug-related crimes alone will not solve the growing drug-related problem in the country, saying that attention must also be directed toward recovery and rehabilitation.
“Isa sa mga ipinagbilin ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa akin ay ang ipagpatuloy ang laban kontra sa ilegal na droga, pati na rin ang laban sa korapsyon at kriminalidad. Umaasa tayo na sa pagpasok ng susunod na administrasyon ay mas mapapalakas pa ang kampanyang ito upang tuluyang mabigyan ng mas ligtas at komportableng buhay ang mga Pilipino,” Go said.
(One of the instructions of former President Rodrigo Duterte to me is to continue the fight against illegal drugs, as well as the campaign against corruption and criminality. We hope that with the next administration, this campaign will be further strengthened to finally provide a safer and more comfortable life for Filipinos.)
In a report by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), a total of 331,694 drug suspects have so far been arrested, including 15,096 high-value targets.
PDEA also reported that illegal drugs worth P89.29 billion have been seized across the country, including PhP76.17 billion worth of shabu.
The total number of drug suspects killed in the drug war has reached 6,235 as of Feb. 28 this year, according to PDEA. (Nicole Faye Agcaoili, INQUIRER.net intern)
