NOBLE
Despite the rising number of drug users who surrendered under the government’s intense campaign against illegal drugs, only a few, including their families, have so far availed of government-backed programs to help them take charge of their lives beyond drugs.
Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale lamented that of the almost 50,000 drug surrenderers in Cebu, only two have so far availed of the province’s scholarship program that is being offered to both the drug dependent and members of their families.
One of the two is the child of a drug user who has surrendered under Operation Tokhang, while the other was a surrenderer himself.
Magpale said they have already conducted information campaign about the program but surmised that the very low turn out could be attributed to the surrenderer’s hesitance to commit to a written agreement that stipulates, among others, that he would be subjected to a monthly drug-testing before he or she can receive the allowance to be provided by the provincial government.
According to Magpale, the scholarship program includes a tuition subsidy of P10,000 and a monthly allowance of P1,500.
Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) director Senior Supt. Eric Noble, who met with Magpale last Thursday, said he and the vice governor have agreed to work out a system for a wider dissemination of the province’s scholarship program for drug surrenderers.
According to Noble, his office would be coordinating closely with the provincial government when it comes to dealing with the surrenderers after each of their Tokhang operations, a community-based police campaign that encourages drug pushers and users to surrender to the police and commit to stop engaging in illegal drug activities.
Noble said he was informed of the Capitol’s program and it was for that reason that he went to see Magpale in order to tie up their projects for drug surrenderers with that of the Capitol.
Magpale said she also asked Noble to inform the drug surrenderees under their Tokhang operations about the province’s scholarship program.
“I told him that when you go for Tokhang, also advertise our scholarship program because we will be taking in more scholars in June,” she said partly in Cebuano.
Magpale said the provincial government has allocated P10 million for their scholarship program, which will cater to drug surrenderers and children of drug surrenderers; as well as the indigents, solo parents, and women and children who are victims of abuse.