THE second batch of wellness camp for drug surenderees in Negros Occidental will start on September 25.
Ma. Lina Sanogal, provincial planning and development coordinator and action officer of Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Padac), said Monday the profiling of 50 moderate drug users who will attend the seven-day program is ongoing.
The wellness camp is being held at the Philippine Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade headquarters at Camp Major Gerona in Murcia town.
The Padac convened yesterday at the Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City to discuss the preparations for the wellness camp.
Sanogal said that mayors and their representatives also attended the meeting to get updates from the program.
She added that the Provincial Government asked the support of the local chief executives for the program.
“If drug surenderees will be profiled from their localities, the mayors were asked to provide service vehicles to and from the camp. After the camp, the mayors were also asked to help with the livelihood program as a follow through for the drug patients,” Sanogal said.
She said they will also improve the module that will be used in the program, which includes leadership training, physical tasks, spiritual activities, counseling, lectures, skills and entrepreneurial training.
Expenses for the wellness camp are shouldered by the Provincial Government sourced from its P5-million allocation for the anti-drug campaign.
A total of 38 drug surenderees have graduated from the initial week-long program, which started on August 21.
Of the 38, 11 are from Bago City, 10 from Kabankalan City, seven from Hinigaran, six from San Carlos City and four from La Carlota City.
On August 8, the first outpatient drug rehabilitation program in the Negros Island Region kicked off in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental.
The outpatient program, which runs for 8 to 12 weeks, costs P2,500 for every drug patient. The initiative was proposed by Negros Oriental Third District Representative Arnulfo Teves, also a reformed drug dependent.
The same program is also ongoing in the Third District of Negros Occidental.
More than 22,000 drug users and pushers in the region have surrendered to the authorities under Oplan Tokhang.