THE Regional Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs Coordinating Group (RICG) and Regional Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Radac) in Davao Region (Region 11) held its 5th conference last May 25, 2018 in Mati City.
The event was hosted by Governor Nelson Dayanghirang through provincial administrator Benjie Bulalong. The whole day event was presided by Atty. Ben Tesiorna, PDEA assistant regional director.
Ronald Rivera, adviser for community organization and program director of City Anti-drug Abuse Council (Cadac), shared that he finds various agencies with different protocols in drug abuse management. He said that it is important to have a unified drug abuse management plan.
Jay Valderama, an international certified addiction professional and an expert provider of treatment for drug addiction presented to the attendees the protocols for persons with substance use disorders (PSUD). He emphasized about the importance to stop using drugs for two years in order for the brain to recover because it is primarily a brain disease.
Rivera also said that he is thankful for Micheal Aportadera – Cadac action officer - for his proposal for RICG and Radac accord. RICG and Radac will meet every month for continuing the Davao Region Anti-Drug Abuse Councils agreement to unify the drug abuse management plan. The Regional ICAD coordinating group that is chaired by Antonio Rivera, PDEA regional director, will now create a management group, so that the data coming from CADAC will be interpreted and analysed for the RICG to make policies of the data.
Asec Anton Hernandez, Co-chair of ICAD Rehab and Reintegration cluster provided the guiding principles for drug abuse management plan. He said that to achieve success in managing drug abuse, it is vital that implementers follow one direction, respect drug reformists culture and utilize available resources.
Rivera also hopes that there will be a continuous monitoring of clients because in that way drug relapse could be prevented. He also reiterated that all implementer’s of drug addiction treatment and prevention should be client-centered and not program-centered. He believes that if there is also no factual data on the exact numbers of clients fully recovering, there will also be no basis if treatment programs are actually helping.