Second chance for ex-drug addicts in Abra

DANGLAS, Abra, Philippines – There is life after drugs.

This is what local government executives here want to show, as seven drug addicts who earlier surrendered to local authorities now work as employees of the municipal office. 

Danglas town mayor Florence Denise Bernos-Bragas said the seven are now administrative aides at the town hall, although they are still under the direct supervision of the town police station to sustain their complete rehabilitation.

Danglas was perhaps the first municipal local government to adopt a community rehabilitation program for drug addicts who surrender, in support of the anti-drug campaign of President Duterte. 

Abra was the first province in the Cordillera region to be declared drug-free.

Bragas said those who had surrendered underwent initial and follow-up drug tests last year and continue to undergo random drug testing to make sure they are no longer into illegal drugs and prohibitive substances. 

Bragas, a medical doctor, said the Danglas town government did not give up on its citizens who were victims of the drug scourge, but instead encouraged them to move on to a brighter future.

Those who surrendered said they consider their efforts for personal and social transformation “a spiritual journey” to be able to rejoin mainstream society.