THE Cagayan de Oro City, through the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), is holding virtual literacy training for former drug users, who had finished the city’s community-based rehabilitation program.
Engineer Rosemarie Emano of the DICT-Mindanao Cluster 2 Office said job opportunities are abundant in the internet.
The training will not only teach recovering drug dependents how to use computers, but will also teach them which websites to visit to earn money and for them to make their own profiles for future online transactions.
City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) head Teddy Sabuga-a said the project is part of the City Government's anti-illegal drugs campaign.
"We won't stop until all of our drug responders go back to the mainstream life. Ug nindot kaayo ni nga proyekto kay layo sa temptation kay naa ka ra gud nag-atubang sa (The project lets you be far from temptations since you are just facing) computer, focusing to earn money," Sabuga-a said.
Sabuga-a said to the training participants to show their sincerity and commitment for the project as it is an opportunity for them to reform.
"Swerte kaayo ta (We’re lucky) that we have a facility like this in the city, other cities don't have this, so we will not take this opportunity for granted, we will use this, we will always hold trainings like this one until the beneficiary can stand up on his own feet," he said.
Renford Soralta, one of the facilitators of the community-based rehab, said working online can help a former drug user "connect to the world."
He said a person, who feels "disconnected" and "excluded" in the society, has a tendency to commit illegal activities.
"This could also help them in the economic aspect of their lives, kay ang gakahitabo man gud sa mga (in the case of) former drug users, maglisod na sila pangapplay sa trabaho (they are having hard time applying for job) because of their history so maayo ning naay programa gyud ang gobiyerno na mohatag ug livelihood para sa parehas nila (it is better that government has programs intended for them)," he added.
John Lariosa, a graduate of the community-based rehab program, said this is "a one step forward in gaining back what was lost" when he dealt with illegal drugs.
"Makatabang gayud ni sa amo maam kay pagsulod baya namo ug rehab kay nakaundang sad baya nis among trabaho (It’s a big help for us ma’am because when we started the rehab, we also stopped our jobs)," Lariosa said, who graduated from the rehab program last June 9.