THE Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CPADAC) announced there will be 229 out of the 240 persons who surrendered in Sogod town who will undergo rehabilitation under the Provincial Government’s Crisis Intervention Program.

CPADAC Head Ivy Durano Meca said that her office, together with its partner private rehabilitation center, went to Sogod to identify those who will qualify for the program.

Meca said the team conducted a profiling of those who presented themselves to the authorities in support of the anti-drug campaign of the police, Oplan Tokhang.

An assessment was also made before the team conducted the screening for substance abuse, which helped them to determine the exact number of users that need to undergo the rehabilitation program.

Among the major factors considered in choosing those who will undergo the program are the user’s background and their tendencies of becoming drug dependents. Meca said that the youngest among those who presented themselves is only 16 years old, while the oldest is 55.

Sogod Mayor Liza Marie Durano-Streegan said she was thankful to the drug council for responding to her request. Sogod is the first local government unit in the province to benefit from the program.

During the CPADAC visit in Sogod, they found out that among the reasons why the concerned persons engaged themselves in illegal drugs are peer pressure, family program, wanting to get rid of boredom, curiosity and using the drug as a stimulant body energizer.

Meca said that the Province will be training barangay health workers for the implementation of the program. Those who will be trained include midwives, barangay officials and personnel of barangay health centers.

Under the program, the beneficiaries are required to report to the barangay hall twice a week for assessment and monitoring.

In Talisay City, some 400 people also presented themselves to the police from July 1-19.

Talisay City Police Station Chief Germano Mallari, however, said that no big time drug pushers or local officials involved in illegal drug trade showed up to the police station.

A 22-year-old man from Negros island, who confessed to be a drug user, surrendered to the police yesterday for fear of his life. Apple Grace C. Danuco and Jyda Yeeycnth Ang, USJ-R Interns