For Central Visayas: Bohol’s island town eyed as drug rehab center site

CEBU, Philippines - The island town of President Carlos P. Garcia in the northeastern tip of Bohol Province will be prioritized in the funding for the construction of a drug treatment and rehabilitation center in Central Visayas.

In a meeting Thursday of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs headed by Surigao Representative Robert Ace Barbers, Bohol Representative Erico Aristotle "Aris" Aumentado pushed for the inclusion of the town in the sites for treatment and rehabilitation of drug surrenderers, whose numbers are rising. 

Aumentado said the island is strategically located in Central Visayas and being an island, it deters patients from escaping treatment and rehabilitation as transfer to the mainland is cumbersome and easily detected.

"I hope we can address the problem (treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts) the soonest possible time," he said.

Aumentado said the committee has passed a resolution, for consideration by the plenary, to establish treatment and rehabilitation centers for the now almost one million drug pushers and users nationwide who surrendered following the police's Operation Tokhang campaign.

Tokhang is coined from the Cebuano works "toktok" which means knock and "hangyo" which means beseech or loosely "request." In implementing the campaign, the police knock on the doors of suspected users and pushers and request them to stop their involvement in the illegal drug trade. This was first used in Davao City when President Rodrigo Duterte was still mayor there.

The House members have earlier urged the committee on dangerous drugs to fast-track the approval of at least 25 proposals to set up drug rehabilitation centers in the country, which will greatly help in reforming and improving the lives of drug personalities.

They acknowledged the urgency in having those centers already in place, noting that many drug users have already surrendered and volunteered to undergo drug rehabilitation.

Cebu Fourth District Representative Benhur Salimbangon is among the authors of House Bill No. 9, which seeks the constructions of a drug rehabilitation center in every region.

Drug rehabilitation is one area where President Duterte has given priority, as manifested by the allocation of P3 billion in the budget of the Office of the President for construction of the drug rehabilitation centers. (FREEMAN)