Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma
CEBU CITY—The Archdiocese of Cebu has refused to give up hope that drug dependents can overcome their addiction.
The country’s biggest archdiocese on Tuesday launched its Cebu Archdiocesan Program for Drug Dependents, forging a partnership with barangay captains, the police and other government agencies for the rehabilitation of drug surrenderers in the city and other areas in Cebu province.
“We are doing this not for anything else but for the simple reason that we care. We want to make drug surrenderers feel that they are not left behind. It’s a question of just simply making the first step, and we know that we can make it happen if we want to,” said Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma in an interview.
The 66-year-old prelate led the program’s launch and orientation activity at the social hall of San Pedro Calungsod Chapel at the South Road Properties here.
Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, director of the Central Visayas police; Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo; and the city’s barangay captains attended the event. Also present were Fe Barino of Surrender to God (SuGod), a center-based drug rehabilitation program based in Liloan town; and Fr. Carmelo Diola, the lead convenor of Labang (Lahat Bangon) drug rehabilitation program from which the archdiocese would pattern its province-wide program for drug dependents.
“The idea is to replicate these programs (SuGod and Labang). We want to have similar programs throughout the archdiocese. We now have the template. We understand what to do, and it’s important to start,” Palma said.
“We know very well that even if there is just one drug surrenderer who changes his or her life for the better, there will be great rejoicing in in heaven,” he added.
Taliño vowed to support the Church’s program to reach out to drug dependents.
He admitted that several drug surrenderers had returned to their old ways after yielding to the police due to the absence of extensive program to rehabilitate them.
At least 106,980 drug pushers and users surrendered to the police in the region from July 1 until Jan. 30, when President Duterte suspended the police’s antidrug operations.