NUEVA ECIJA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday inaugurated the "mega" drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation center (DATRC) at a military camp here in Laur, in a bid to address the drug menace.
Duterte started the inauguration by inspecting the 100,000-square-meter rehabilitation center.
The drug facility in Camp Fort Magsaysay, the country's largest military camp, can accommodate about 10,000 in-patients.
The 10,000-bed facility in the province would have some 2,500 drug dependents as its first batch of in-patients.
The patients who will be rehabitated by six to 12 months will come from Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan and Tarlac.
At the inauguration, there were about 37 drug dependents set to undergo rehabilitation.
As of September, nearly 800,000 individuals involved in drugs have voluntarily surrendered since the President waged his war on narcotics trade.
The Department of Health was tasked to operate and manage the drug facility.
Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said around 800 personnel have already been hired, as of October.
Ubial said the hired personnel are tasked to observe the in-patients everyday for six months.
She said drug dependents must be freed from illicit drug sale "to become productive members of the society."
"Everyday, they have activities. Some of the activities are actually the livelihood projects, spiritual development, and values formation. They will also have adult learning sessions, book reading, and artwork," Ubial told reporters at the sideline of the event.
"The concept of a treatment and rehab center is to really make sure that the patients are removed from the community so that they do not have access to illegal drugs and to have them get used to a daily routine that they are busy everyday," she added.
Huang Rulun, a Philippine-based Chinese real estate billionaire, has donated P1.4 billion for the construction of the drug rehabilitation center.
Huang said he donated the funds because he fully supports the Duterte administration on its war on drugs, which he said is the "common enemy of all mankind."
Huang believed that the government's effort to crackdown on narcotics would benefit the future generations.
"Drugs have long plagued governments and people all over the world, and the spread of drugs has brought great harm to the economic development and social stability of all countries in the world," Huang said.
"Since taking office this June, President Duterte has decisively waged an anti-drug campaign with an irresistible force, adhering to the high faith and loyalty to uphold the independence of the Philippines, and to seek long lasting national destiny," he added.
The government is also eyeing to establish "mega" drug facility in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, which will be sourced from the proposed 2017 budget. (Sunnex)