BAGUIO CITY – Controlling the proliferation of crime and drugs in the city of Baguio, mayor Mauricio Domogan formally signed Administrative Order No. 013; creating a Special Committee to administer the Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons with substance Use Disorder (PSUD) in Baguio.
Said committee will be chaired by the city mayor himself with ABC president and councilor Michael Lawana as the co-chairman.
The members includes City Social Welfare and Development officer Betty Fangasan, Department of Interior and Local Government Baguio Field office director Evelyn Trinidad, City Health officer Dr. Rowena Galpo or representative, Department of Social Welfare and Development –CAR regional director Janet Armas or representative, Department of Health-CAR regional director Dr. Lakshmi Legaspi or representative, Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center chief Dr. Emmanuel Acluba or representative and Ram Sharma of Baguio General Hospital Advisory Board, Baguio City Police Office city director PSSupt. Ramil Saculles or representative, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency regional director Juvenal Azurin or representative, City Legal officer Atty. Melchor Carlos Rabanes or representative, Department of Education (division office) officer-in-charge Atty. Augustin Laban III or representative, Department of Labor and Employment-CAR OIC regional director Exequiel Ronie Guzman or representative, Department of Trade and Industry Baguio-Benguet provincial director Freda Gawisan or representative, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Baguio-Benguet provincial director Angela Gabriel or representative, and Philippine Information Agency head Helen Tibaldo or representative.
Mayor ordered the committee to undertake collaborative efforts towards institutionalizing a participatory live-in and live-out Drug Rehabilitation program to ensure the inclusive process of enlisting civil society’s participation especially on the local level, to build and strengthen capacities of said participatory programs and processes so as to address community concerns and improve the government performance in its campaign in drug rehabilitation and drug prevention programs implementation, to provide a regular mechanism for an engaging civil society and local government interaction enabling a sustained and dynamic partnership, and to perform other functions necessary and incidental in the rehabilitation of PSUDs as well as their reintegration in the community.
Moreover, with the commitment to assist the government in the rehabilitation of PSUDs, mayor directed other civil organizations to sustain collaborative efforts and partnership with the government.
Among the civil organization includes Serenity in the Steps headed by Clemente Abella Jr. and Sergi Musni, Project Alcohol Drug Abuse Ministries (ADAM) headed by dir. Lemton Agricola, People’s Alliance Reaching Transforming Nations Extending Righteousness and Salvation (PARTNERS) Network headed by Rev. Dr. Dandelo Azarcon, Bless our Cops and Soldiers Movement headed by Octavio Muncada, and International Movement and Partnerships for Change and Transformation (IMPACT) headed by Ricardo Bagalawis Jr,
The BCPO reported that there are already 2,390 surrenderees in Baguio, 406 of which are drug pushers and 1,984 are drug users.
Also, the BCPO has conducted 204 buy bust operations apprehending 180 pushers and 24 users.
The CSWDO together with the different partner agencies is continuously providing services to the PSUDs as well as their families for them to fully change and have a better future ahead./Jho Arranz#
