THE regional office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Davao is eyeing to make the Davao City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cadac) as the model in terms of providing inclusive services for drug reformists and effective program implementation in the whole region.
“Uunahin namin ang Davao City (We'll prioritize Davao City) because we have to account for more than about 8,000 drug surrenderees at meron namang active Cadac ang Davao City at iyon ang gagawin naming model because may mga intervention sila (and they have an active Cadac in Davao City and we will make it a model because they have interventions),” PDEA-Davao regional director Adzhar Albani said.
He added that other local government units (LGUs) can just copy Cadac's programs and initiatives in creating their own interventions to suppress illegal drugs and providing holistic approach to their own surrenderees.
“Other LGUS will have to follow Davao model. ‘Yun ang i-recommend namin (We will recommend it),” he said.
Cadac provides extensive support for the rehabilitation of suspected drug pushers and users who earlier surrendered to authorities in the city and offers rehabilitation up to aftercare program.
It has also launched a campaign dubbed as "Tara Na (Tabangan Atong Reformees Aron Naa'y Asenso)," to encourage support from other group.
Albani also mentioned there are already lists of barangays in the city that have been recommended in their office to be declared as drug-free, which means no existence of laboratories or drug dens in the area.
“Hindi ka pwede mag-declare ng drug-free barangay (You can't declare your barangay drug-free) without intervention, meaning dapat kompleto yong na-rehab at dapat ma-intervene. Hindi lang pwede na mag surrender dapat ma either formally rehab or community rehab (the rehab is complete and it should be intervened. It's not just about surrender. He should be either formally rehabbed or community rehab),” he explained.
PDEA-Davao, he said, just created an office in the city as instructed by the national office to further intensify their anti-drug operations and interventions down to the grassroots level.
Albani also extended his appreciation to the initiative of the Ateneo de Davao University for putting up the first church-based program called Center for Anti-Illegal Drug in the country.
“They criticized but they help, that is what we need so this is the first in the Philippines run by church,” he said.
With all these development, Albani came to the defense of President Rodrigo Duterte’s serious drug campaign, saying while he verbally threatens drug peddlers, what he really does is help drug users as manifested after signing an executive order that 20-member Inter-agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs and Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force.
“It’s not true that the President just want na may mamatay diyan (for someone to die) because nag-sign na siya ng (he signed an) executive order including rehabilitation and aftercare and advocacy so we are ordered to deploy our personnel to the grassroots,” he said.