BAGUIO CITY — The Ifugao provincial government has received PHP5 million from the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) as initial fund for the construction of a building at the Ifugao Reflection Camp (IRC) that would be used to rehabilitate drug surrenderers, Governor Pedro Mayam-o told PNA in a telephone interview Monday night.
The governor said that the check was turned over by DDB Undersecretary Benjamin Reyes, who was guest speaker during the graduation of 71 rehabilitated drug surrenderers held at the Yamashita Shrine in Kiangan, Ifugao on Monday.
Also present in the event were Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Ramon Cualoping and Office of the President (OP) Assistant Secretary Aurora Ignacio.
The governor said the PHP5-million allocation was given after the province and the IRC, managed by different offices in the provincial level, submitted a proposal for the construction of a building to house the surrenderers, where the different activities in relation to their rehabilitation would be conducted.
He added that the building would be multi-structure and would replace the tents being used for the meantime by the drug surrenderers undergoing rehabilitation.
Ifugao has 601 drug surrenderers who came forward when President Rodrigo Duterte announced the government’s program to “change” those who are engaged in illegal drugs until recently as others continue to avail of the service.
In June of this year, IRC was able to graduate 109 campers.
Dr. Maryjo Dulawan, Ifugao provincial health officer, in a telephone interview on Tuesday said there were challenges in the rehabilitation process in terms of logistics; relationship between and among the different personnel of different offices with different thrusts; program format to follow; human resources; the varied and extraordinary behavior of the campers, some of whom are suffering from depression, their physical condition and illnesses as well as mental behavior caused by the use of illegal drugs.
The greater challenge, Dulawan added, is maintaining the “clean” and “sober” status of the campers even after their graduation, that is why a follow-through activity continues even after they finish the initial six-month rehabilitation process.
While there were challenges, the doctor said those were overtaken by the mere words of the campers who said “I was lost but I felt the love and care and I realized that the government has services for people like us,” and more importantly their realization that there is God who wants to help them reform.
She said these are enough consolation and reward for those who share in the convergence process to help rehabilitate the drug surrenderers.
Dulawan said, “One soul saved means a lot to us as persons and as professionals who are serving the government.”
The doctors explained that the IRC provides holistic treatment. Initially, the campers are checked physically for different health conditions. They are assessed individually or as a group for profiling of their social, mental and psychological condition and provided assistance in adapting to a healthy lifestyle.
At the camp, no meat but only vegetables are served at meal times. The campers have sweet potato or “camote” and other root crops for snacks and lemongrass juice as beverage.
Dulawan also said IRC is focused on transformation for the good of the campers, who are helped in developing confidence so that they could be better persons for themselves, their families and community.
Out of the 71 who graduated on Monday, the oldest was 65 and the youngest are still teenagers. (PNA)
