THREE barangay councilmen were among the 522 drug surrenders who availed of community-based drug treatment program of the municipal government of Ronda, a town 86.6 km south of Cebu City.
Ronda Mayor Mariano Blanco III told Cebu Daily News in an interview that the program is initiated by the new Ronda police chief, and he supported it because it will benefit his constituents.
The program includes assessing the skills of the drug surrenderers so that they could be taught livelihood skills at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).
Supt. Joie Yape, concurrent officer in charge of the Ronda Police Station, said aside from the rehabilitation of the drug surrenderers, with the program, they could also monitor them and make sure that they do not return to using drugs.
“I am grateful to the Ronda town government for supporting this program. If this program will succeed, then the drug surrenderers will find a better purpose in their lives than just using drugs,” said Yape in Cebuano.
Blanco said that the Ronda town government would help fund the program which lasts for six weeks.
Aside from the Ronda town government, the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, and some groups in the religious sector would help in making the program successful.