BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The Japanese government will bankroll the construction of a drug rehabilitation center in this city.
Japanese officials are looking for a three-hectare property on which to build the rehabilitation center, Mayor Mauricio Domogan said yesterday.
Health Undersecretary Henry Tong-an and officials of the regional health department met with Domogan recently to inform him about the plan of the Japanese government.
Aside from drug surrenderees in this city, the center will cater to residents from different areas of the Cordilleras, who wanted to reform themselves.
Domogan urged the health officials to ask the Japanese government to send a representative who will inspect available lots, particularly in Sto. Tomas Apugan where the city government owns a 139-hectare property.
“If the city government’s property will not pass the standards of the Japanese government, we recommend that the proposed drug rehabilitation center be built outside the city,” Domogan said.
The plan, he said, would help the city government and the private sector address the needs of drug surrenderees, who want to recover from addiction.
Drug surrenderees are having a difficult time going to the nearest drug facility in Dagupan City in Pangasinan.
The city government is willing to coordinate with nearby towns that have ideal locations for the construction of the facility, Domogan said.