City Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi (second from left) presides over a press conference after the launching of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy drug rehabilitation program on Thursday, Feb. 8 at the Imus City Sports Center. With him are Vice Mayor Ony Catimbuhan (far left), Atty. Jeremiah Belgica (second from right), legal adviser of the City of Imus Anti-Drug Abuse Council and (far left) a CBT member. (PNA Photo by Rogelio Limpin)
IMUS CITY, Cavite – Some 544 drug surrenderers stand to benefit from the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) rehabilitation program officially launched by the City of Imus Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CIADAC) at the Imus Sports Center here Thursday.
City Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi led the launch, along with Vice Mayor Arne Cantimbuhan, Cavite 3rd District Representative Alex Advincula, CBT consultant Dr. Jessica Francisco, and CIADAC legal adviser, lawyer Jeremiah Beljica.
The CBT drug rehabilitation program is a community-based program administered by the CIADAC under the Office of the City Mayor, which receives drug-related complaints and coordinates with concerned agencies to resolve drug-related problems in the city.
CIADAC officials said during Thursday’s press conference that the CBT Program is an evidence-based and results-oriented approach to changing drug surrenderers’ attitudes and behavior, enabling them to become productive members of the society.
They expounded that the CBT is one of the few forms of psychotherapy that has been scientifically tested and found to be effective in hundreds of clinical trials for many different disorders where the treatment involves changing the drug surrenderers’ inaccurate and negative thinking to view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way.
CIADAC initially undertook the program in October 2017 with about 544 surrenderers, 200 referrals, and 150 therapists. Due to its success, it was officially launched Thursday to benefit more drug surrenderers.
During the rehabilitation period, the drug surrenderers undergo sessions on reforming drug addiction and basic counseling as they learn how to identify distorted thinking, modify beliefs, and change behaviors.
"Ayaw ko na sa droga. Wawasakin ang utak mo. Bagong buhay na ako sa kabutihan (I now reject hard drugs because they destroy your brain, (and) I have renewed my life for the better)," said one of the drug surrenderers in an interview.
Drug surrenderers who underwent the CBT program last year also disclosed that they "have changed their lives, became sober and more family-oriented".
“The success rate of adopting the CBT is phenomenal to surrenderers as they believe there is hope and they’re back to their normal lives," said Maliksi.
The mayor also added that the CIADAC has hundreds of members that include the Liga ng mga Barangay (village leaders’ league), PNP-Cavite, the interior department, City Health Office, City Social Welfare Service, Federation of Imus Home Owners, religious groups, and Imus City Schools Division Office, among other sectors.
On the other hand, Vice Mayor Cantimbuhan said the surrenderers shall undergo skills training after completing the CBT program and upon being tested negative for drugs, they will be referred for employment matched to their skills and work capacity through the city’s Public Employment Service Office.
Meanwhile, Advincula also challenged the surrenderers to be more productive citizens.
"Huwag susuko sa kinaharap na problema. Ikaw lang ang tutulong sa iyong sarili, sa dulo noon ay may pagasa. Alam niyo naman na ang ating Pangulong Duterte ay may all-out campaign laban sa droga. Tulungan natin siya para masugpo ito (Don’t give up on any problem you face. Only you can help yourself, because in the end, there is always hope. You are also aware that President Duterte has waged an all-out campaign against illegal drugs. Let us help him eradicate drugs),” Advincula said. (PNA)
