No New York trip for PB?

A trip by Cebu provincial officials to New York City for a study tour on drug rehabilitation may not push through next month.

Only six out of 10 Provincial Board (PB) members who were authorized to travel for this purpose by Gov. Hilario Davide III are interested or available to go, according to a reliable source.

That’s short of the “minimum 15 participants” required for the customized workshop and study tour by Daytop International Inc., which invited the PB members to observe its “Therapeutic Community Model for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Substance Abusers” in Daytop Village.

The trip, which would be charged to official travel budgets of the individual PB members, has invited controversy over the need for 10 local legislators to attend a seminar abroad at a time when the new Capitol administration has pledged to be prudent and transparent in spending funds, and is wrestling with payment of unpaid bills of the past administration.

Ironically, the two PB members with the closest duties to the subject, and pushed for the trip, said they are not attending –– PB Member Carmen Durano-Meca who heads the committee on dangerous drug abuse prevention, and PB Member Gigi Sanchez-Zaballero.

Zaballero, who raised the Daytop invitation last month during a PB session, said she was committed to improve drug rehabilitation in Cebu, especially in training staff, because of her sad family experience with a drug dependent brother, Greco.

But last week, Zaballero said she could not join the New York trip due to her workload as head of the committee on finance and budget, since budget hearings are about to start.

No town or city mayors have confirmed their attendance in the New York workshop either. They were invited through the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) in Manila.

“The total number of participants required by the U.S. rehab center for the customized training is 15 heads. Did not reach the minimum number of participants,” said the source in a text message.

Last Oct. 3, Governor Davide issued an authority to travel to 10 PB members.

They are Peter John Calderon, Jude Thaddeus Sybico, Julian Daan, Raul Alcoseba, Grecilda Sanchez and Joven Mondigo.

Joining them were Sun Shimura, Miguel Antonio Magpale, Arleigh Sitoy and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) ex-officio member Aladin Caminero. Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos