FOURTEEN inmates at the Mandaue City Jail (MCJ) Male Dormitory graduated from the Katatagan, Kalusugan at Damayan ng Komunidad (KKDK) drug recovery program.
The ceremony was held last Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
Jonathan Baltar, Jail Superintendent of the MCJ-Male Dormitory, told the media on Friday, July 22, 2022, that their primary goal was to reintegrate these drug-associated persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) into the community and to help them understand the negative effects of drugs on themselves and their families.
Baltar said these PDLs, who voluntarily joined the program, underwent 18 modules for at least six months that focused on psychological and emotional coping.
Activities also included drug counseling intervention and teaching the PDLs positive coping, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with trained KKDK coaches.
Baltar said the program started in 2019 and it was adopted by the Mandaue City Jail just this year, with 14 PDLs as its first graduates.
He added that the graduates were supposed to undergo six more modules with their respective family members concerning drug awareness and model effective communication skills, but it was cancelled due to the ongoing Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
After graduation, these PDLs will be given a completion certificate.
They will also be recommended for a job once they get out of prison. (HIC)