Drug surrenderers in Barangay Calamba, Cebu City undergo a drug test at the barangay gym on July 29. | Mae Fhel Gom-os
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Forty three out of 65 drug surrenderers in Barangay Calamba, Cebu City will have to undergo a drug rehabilitation program after they failed a drug test on Thursday, July 29, 2021.
Two of the 43 found positive of using illegal drugs were minors, said Jonah John Rodriguez, Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) head.
Rodriguez said that they visited the homes of these drug surrenderers and brought them to the barangay gym where they underwent profiling and a drug test.
These drug surrenderers were in the Philippine National Police-Philippine and Drug Enforcement Agency (PNP-PDEA) drug watch list.
He said that five of those in the list were minors, two of them failed the drug test.
He also said that those found positive of using illegal drugs would not be apprehended, but they would have to undergo the CBDRP or the community-based drug rehabilitation program
Rodriguez said that the minors, however, would not undergo the three-month Community-based Rehabilitation Program but they would be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
These minors will undergo a separate session under the DSWD.
“Giawhag nato sila to join para matabangan nato ilahang drug problem, and then eventually mawala sila sa PNP-PDEA drug list when they complete the course,” he said, saying that they need to complete the sessions in three months, of which one session will be conducted a week.
(I encourage them to join so that we can help them with their drug problem, and then eventually their names will be taken off the PNP-PDEA drug list when they complete the course.)
CCPO actions in Calamba
Meanwhile, Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) chief, said that they were implementing two programs aimed at reducing supply of drugs and reducing the demand.
Supply reduction is implemented by serving search warrants on drug personalities while demand reduction will involve lectures to the surrenderers through the CBDRP.
Ligan said they are hoping that with the close collaboration of the PNP, PDEA, COSAP and barangay officials, they would be able to downgrade the drug affection in the barangay which they noted as seriously affected.
The city director said it is an alarming that even minors are used to transport the drugs.
“Even ang mga bata user na, then gipanggamit pod gani na sila sa pag transport, maoy mobitibit ug suguon. That is why ang affectation aning barangaya is really indeed serious,” said Ligan.
(Even the children are users, then they are used to transport illegal drugs. They are the ones who will tasked to bring the illegal drugs. That is why the affectation of this barangay is really indeed serious.)
He further said that some of the family members of the surrenderers who were detained at the Cebu City Jail, were the ones who had influenced them.
“Ang ato man gud nakita sa tracking sa druga labi nag usa sa miyembro sa pamilya nadakpan tuana sa sulod, naa mo puli which kapamilya rapid nila. So og mahurot na sila ato na sila mag reunion sa city jail,” he added.
(What we see in our tracking of drugs, especially when a members of a family will get jailed, then another family member will take over his place. So if all of them will get caught then they would reunion inside the city jail.)
PDEA-7’s operations
PDEA-7 Regional Special Enforcement Team Leader Jonar Cuayzon, for his part, said they had seen the need of help to Calamba, whose drug problems had worsened.
Cuayzon said this was the reason they conducted serving of search warrants in the area.
“Si kapitan mismo nag manifest na sa problema sa drugas sa Calamba. Perti na gyung lisora. Dina makaya sa level nila as barangay. They really need the help of other stakeholders mao tong na inspire mi nga mag conduct mi kay ang problema sa drugas, perting nang lalaa,” said Cuayzon.
The barangay captain manifested about the worsening drug problems in Calamba. The barangay could not handle it anymore. They really need the help of other stakeholders, so we were inspired to conduct operations against the serious drug problem in the area.)
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