THE Bacolod City Council approved a resolution requesting Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Representative Greg Gasataya to study the possibility of taking over the management of Reach Drug Rehabilitation Center in the city.
The resolution, authored by Councilor Em Ang, chair of committee on health and sanitation, aims to accommodate drug dependents in support of President Rodrigo Duterte's war against drugs.
The Reach Drug Rehabilitation Center located in Paglaum Village, Barangay Mansilingan is the first facility accredited in Western Visayas by the Dangerous Drugs Board.
Based on the latest report from the Philippine National Police (PNP), a total of 638,362 illegal drug users and 48,534 pushers voluntarily surrendered throughout the country.
The resolution stated that the rehabilitation center caters primarily to drug dependents mostly from Bacolod City who belong to low-income families and cannot afford treatment in private institutions.
Approximately 1/3 of the center's monthly expense budget is subsidized by the City Government and the balance is covered by contributions from the families and by donations from the community, it added.
Ang said there is a need for the City Government to take over the management and operations of Reach Drug Rehabilitation Center to improve its services and expand its capacity to accommodate more clients who are in need of rehabilitation and treatment from substance abuse.
She added that the drug rehabilitation center is crucial in helping the drug dependents recover from substance abuse and mental disorder.
