THE Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) will be working with the Mandaue City Government in crafting employment and livelihood programs for rehabilitated drug dependents.

Mandaue City reportedly logged 1,467 drug users who voluntarily surrendered under Oplan Tokhang conducted by the Philippine National Police. As of July 30, around 49,000 drug users have surrendered, according to records of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7.

“We believe that a drug-free workforce is a healthy and productive workforce,” said MCCI president Glenn Anthony Soco.

Aside from creating employment and livelihood programs, Soco added they will be encouraging businessmen to invest in drug rehabilitation centers to aid government in its anti-drug campaign.

Supporting President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs is one of Soco’s advocacies during his term.

“We need to educate the public that illegal drugs can affect our moral fiber, affect our productivity and trigger bad practices. We need to have a drug-free environment to have a healthy workforce,” he earlier said.

MCCI will also push for making drug testing as a pre- and post-requirement for employment a standard among chamber members.