Baguio sets rehab of drug ‘surrenderees’

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – The city government adapted a process on management of illegal drug “surrenderees” or drug-related referrals for public and private entities.

In Administrative Order No. 110, Mayor Mauricio Domogan directed creation of process flow developed during an inter-agency meeting headed by Dept. of Interior and Local Government Baguio under city director Evelyn Trinidad to synchronize actions of stakeholders and adapt complementary actions on management of drug abuse victims.

This process will apply to all drug offenders and dependents referred by both public and private entities as a result of drug tests conducted.

Drug victims who surrendered or referred by public and private entities will undergo documentation processing. 

This stage includes executing an undertaking pledge or affidavit, profiling, executing a waiver to undergo drug test, mug shot, debriefing and finger printing.

 Adults will be subjected to brief intervention by the Dept. of Health or trained BADAC members while minors will be referred to the office of the city social welfare and development office for profiling and psychological examination.

Both will then undergo drug dependency examination by the DOH accredited physicians (Drs. Zoraida Clavio, Clarette Dy and Karen Balanza) and drug testing by DOH accredited drug testing laboratories.

The next step will be filing in court of petition for voluntary confinement by the Dangerous Drugs Board representatives and upon issuance of a court order, the patients will either be confined in a drug rehabilitation facility in Dagupan City or Pampanga for six months or committed as out-patient at the Baguio General Hospital.  

 After the rehabilitation, in-patients will undergo and 18-month after-care program and along with the out-patients may be referred for livelihood assistance from the Technical Education Skills Development Agency (TESDA), Dept. of Labor and Employment (DOLE), OCSWADO, Dept. of Trade and Industry and others for their eventual reintegration in the community.