PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- The Department of Health (DOH) urged local government units (LGUs) in the country to emulate Palawan’s implementation of the Community Enhancement and Livelihood Program (CELP) to support President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs campaign and to help recovering drug dependents.
Dr. Ma. Vilma Diez, DOH director of the Dangerous Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Program (DDAPTP), said Wednesday the province’s CELP was hailed by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) as the “best model” in community-based treatment and rehabilitation program for persons who use drugs (PWUDs).
The other best model in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) is in the municipality of Gasan in Marinduque, she said during a Health Summit press conference in this city.
Diez said CELP is among the community-based treatment and recovery programs they are promoting to other provinces and municipalities, providing immediate and accessible interventions for PWUDs, particularly those who submit themselves voluntarily.
“Nandoon na siya sa ini-exhibit natin na isa siya sa best practices. Kaya in-exhibit natin yong CELP para tularan ng ibang LGUs. Sinasabi natin na ito na yong magandang programa para sa mga komunidad na base na sa pag-aaral, evidence-based, and may research. May rason tayo na tularan siya. CELP is very good (We are already exhibiting it as one of the best practices. The reason is so that other LGUs will copy the program. What we’re saying is that this is it, this is the most applicable program in your communities because it underwent studies, it’s evidence-based, and it was researched. We now have a reason to emulate it),” she added.
Palawan’s CELP was born out of the provincial government’s compassion for more than 4,200 drug users and pushers who voluntarily surrendered at the onset of the administration’s “Oplan Tokhang” and “Double Barrel Reloaded.”
It is a 16-week community-based outpatient recovery program that would provide the essential support for recovering drug addicts to get back to mainstream society.
Program team leader, Ma. Teresa Acda, said CELP aims to channel help to them to allow their re-entry into the mainstream of society.
"The number of those who surrendered was one of the reasons for the creation of CELP. But for Governor Jose Alvarez, when he gave us the order in July 2016 to come up with this, it was also compassion and sympathy for the families of those who surrendered voluntarily and understanding them. The governor's simple instruction was for us to help," Acda said in a previous interview.
As part of Duterte’s overall response to the ongoing drug abuse prevention initiatives, the DOH started in Puerto Princesa a four-day summit to share experiences and best models on the effectiveness of community-based drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers called “recovery clinics.”
The recovery clinic, which began in Pasay, is also one of the best models of community-based support to PWUDs.
The DOH hopes the recovery clinic model would be implemented soon on a nationwide scale.
Meanwhile, the summit slated to be held on Sept. 11-15 serves as the dissemination forum of the guidelines, as it also showcases the other best models in community-based treatment and rehabilitation program that were developed in other LGUs.
The initiative is guided by Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, that mandates the state’s policy to provide sustainable mechanisms to reintegrate into the society the individuals who have fallen victim to drug abuse and dependency.
Dr. Ivanhoe Escartin, program manager of DDAPTP, said the setting up of recovery clinics signifies “political will” to support the nationwide campaign against drugs and help the PWUDs.
“If we pull together all our experiences, we will be able to fight the scourge of illegal drugs that is affecting people in our communities,” he said. (PNA)
