THE second batch of former illegal-substance users in Valenzuela recently finished their reintegration program at the Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Nueva Ecija.
The 41 patients were the new graduates of center-based rehab project sponsored by the Valenzuela City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Vadac).
From being clients to achievers, they are now ready to face the next challenges for the betterment of their lives outside of the facility.
These newly reformed individuals will now undergo a six-month monitoring to ensure their drug-free status, Vadac action officer Bimbo de la Cruz said.
The local government will provide them with financial assistance worth P20,000 to start anew. They will also undergo seminars and trainings to help them better handle their finances.
Valenzuela City, headed by Mayor Rexlon T. Gatchalian, continues its initiative to address illegal drugs and criminality in the city.
Since the rehab drive’s inception in 2016, 182 local drug users have voluntarily submitted themselves and completed the program.
The first batch of 141 clients graduated last May 2017 from the Central Luzon Drug Abuse Rehabilitation Center in Magalang, Pampanga.
The Vadac reported that 941 constituents have been enrolled to the barangay-based Community Wellness Program as of January 2018.
Meanwhile, the City Social Welfare and Development Office has been giving an after-care program for 160 clients since the start of the year.
The post-rehab initiatives being implemented for the client-achievers include employment through the Public Employment and Services Office, livelihood assistance via the Valenzuela Cooperative Development Council and scholarship through the Valenzuela Polytechnic College.
The rehab drive of Valenzuela was recently cited by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the National Capital Region Police Office as one of the Top 3 Best Rehabilitation Programs in NCR.