Congress urged to fund new rehab centers

CONGRESS has been urged to move swiftly to fund the establishment of more drug treatment and rehabilitation facilities around the country due to the rising number of drug users and pushers surrendering in the Duterte administration’s antidrug war.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers, who chairs the House committee on dangerous drugs, said in a statement yesterday that  latest official reports showed at least 680,000 drug users and pushers had surrendered under the Philippine National Police’s “Oplan Tokhang.”

“But the problem is that they were let loose because the PNP (and) PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) have no drug rehabilitation facilities that can accommodate the huge number of people involved or addicted to drugs,” Barbers said.

Oplan Tokhang (in Visayan, to knock and plead) has policemen and barangay officials going to the homes of drug suspects ostensibly to warn them to quit their illegal activities.

According to the Dangerous Drugs Board, there are 15 government-owned and 27 private drug rehabilitation centers accredited by the Department of Health.

Barbers said 11 bills had been filed in the House of Representatives seeking congressional funding to put up drug rehabilitation centers for each of the country’s 18 regions and 81 provinces.

The Mindanao lawmaker urged other members of the committee on dangerous drugs to immediately pass a consolidated bill.