LIVELIHOOD ASSISTANCE. The Iloilo city government extends PHP10,000 aid to each of the 84 drug surrenderers for their livelihood program in a ceremony held at the City Hall Penthouse on Wednesday (March 28, 2018). (Photo by Perla Lena)
ILOILO CITY -- Some 84 of the 209 graduates belonging to the first batch of the Iloilo City Crossroads drug rehabilitation program received PHP10,000 each on Wednesday as financial assistance for their Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).
Teresa Gelogo, focal person for family welfare program of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), said the Iloilo City government has allotted PHP1 million for the livelihood program but only PHP840,000 was utilized for the livelihood assistance while the remaining amount will be for their capability building.
“They will be taught how to manage their business,” she said.
The recipient will repay the PHP5,000 of the PHP10,000, while the remaining amount will serve as their maintaining capital. They will be required to pay PHP83 per month.
Gelogo said prior to the release of the fund, the recipients were required to submit a project proposal provided they are qualified for the after-care program.
This means that that they have completed the required days of the rehabilitation program, finished their chosen skills training and have a medical certificate to prove that they are fit to work.
Gelogo said they will not just focus on the livelihood provision but they wanted to have a holistic intervention.
She added that they will be looking into the needs of their families because some of them are members of the government’s conditional cash transfer program.
The 84 recipients include 28 from Lapaz/Lapuz district; 17 from Jaro; 13 from Molo; 12 from City Proper; eight from Mandurriao; and six from Arevalo.
Robert Dequiña, 47, of Lapuz district, president of the New Life SLP Association, shared how illegal drugs destroyed his life and even his family.
He started using drugs when he was only 18 years old out of curiosity but it didn’t stop there.
He stopped using illegal drugs in 2015 because he realized his life has no direction; his wife even left him for abroad.
He enrolled in the rehabilitation program of the city government where he and other surrenderers underwent a rigorous program handled by the City Health Office (CHO). He then availed of the 21-day driving training at the Technical Institute of Iloilo City (TIIC).
Dequiña said he will use the amount to start a small business. “I will try to give value to what the city government has offered us,” he said.
Gelongo said in addition to the CSWDO fund, the regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development also provided PHP840,000 that was used to put up their group project -- a laundry service in Lapaz district.
Also, PHP603,500 assistance was previously provided to 352 surrenderers.
Mayor Jose Espinosa III advised the surrenderers not to go back to illegal drugs, as he called it “an evil doing out to destroy humanity”.
He said it was very timely that the assistance was given this Holy Week.
He urged them to go to church and be thankful for the new life that was given to them. “You were given a chance,” he said.
Dr. Bernard Caspe, CHO head, said hopefully the provision of livelihood aid will encourage other surrenderers to pursue their aftercare program.
Some of the 209 enrollees of the first batch went back to school or have looked for work.
Right now, the third batch of the surrenderers are about to graduate and the CHO is already preparing for the fourth batch. (PNA)
