Surrenderers from Lapu-Lapu City are given work by the government at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and paid P250 per day making foot paths, channelizers and plant boxes. (CDN PHOTO/NORMAN MENDOZA)
THE Lapu-Lapu City government has given work to persons who have surrendered in line with Oplan Tokhang.
Initially, 57 have been deployed at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Barangay Mactan starting last Tuesday. They receive a salary of P250 per day.
Their job is to make foot path slabs, channelizers to be used in the roads and plant boxes.
Mayor Paz Radaza said they have recycled materials at the MRF which are mixed with sand, gravel and cement to make the end product.
She added that the city had been producing their own products made of these materials for decorative purposes. The road channelizers and slabs are given to barangays that need them.
Lapu-Lapu City Acting Police Director Senior Supt. Rommel Cabagnot said they brought the surrenderers to the work place last Tuesday and were briefed about the job.
They are restricted to certain areas inside the MRF compound and must log-in and log-out on the log book whenever they go in and out of the work area.
A couple of police officers are assigned to watch them the whole day.
Cabagnot explained that all the surrenderers are categorized into those who want to avail of the work opportunity, those who would want to avail of rehabilitation activities such as community service, spiritual upliftment and physical fitness.
He said there are 1,700 surrenderers but only few of them wanted to avail of the work offer. Others wanted to avail of the skills training being offered by the city.
Non-government organizations are also offering work opportunities for them but this is still being coordinated with the city government and the police.
“Since they started, the attendance the following day decreased to 40 and others never came back. Maybe they wanted to avail of another job offer,” said Cabagnot.
The police continue to monitor the surrenderers with the help of the barangays in order to prevent them from going back to the illegal drugs trade.