Drug dependents who voluntarily surrendered to local authorities submitted themselves to a surprise drug test conducted by the City Government of Tagum through the CADAC City Anti-Drug Abuse Council, which will determine if they will pass or fail in the LGU-led STAND Program or Seryosong Tagumenyos Ayaw Ng Droga, a locally-initiated drug rehabilitation program.
Said drug test is just one of the requirements/interventions they need to hurdle to effectively measure the success of their seven-month rehabilitation under the STAND Program.
Last January 22, 2016, TADS or Tagumenyos Against Drugs trooped to the New City Hall Atrium to participate in the one-day General Assembly cum Compliance Certificate Signing Day slated by the local government and the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council under the leadership of Mayor Allan L. Rellon.
The assembly is concentrated on the signing of the compliance sheet kept by the TADS by the different agencies to ascertain their participation on the various activities arranged by the city government in the last six months as part of the intervention programs scoped under the larger STAND Program, the multi-level approach of the LGU Tagum in rehabilitating the drug surrenderees.
Values Enhancement, Moral and Spiritual Development, Physical Fitness, Community Service Involvement, and Mental Health Development are the interventions included in the rehabilitation framework.
To culminate their partaking in the STAND Program, the TADS need to submit themselves on a drug test, which was readily available during the assembly. If the TADS will pass the drug test and has successfully fulfilled the compliance sheet, the city government will include them in the list of individuals who will be eligible to avail of any livelihood trainings, job referrals, and other programs that the LGU can offer for the betterment of their respective lives.
On the other hand, City Administrator Giovanni L. Rellon explained that when the TADS failed to pass the test, they need to re-undergo the sets of interventions they previously participated.
“Kung nag positive sila, balik sila sa sugod. I-assist nato sila until such time magbag-o jud sila,” he said.
Meanwhile, once graduated from the rehabilitation program as hallmarked by their compliance certificates, the TADS will be renamed as STAND (Seryosong Tagumenyos Ayaw Nang Droga), a title that seeks to reintegrate them in the society. This will be given in a fitting graduation ceremony next week January 29, 2016.
Notably, Tagum is the only known LGU in the country implementing a comprehensive program to improve the lives of the drug surrenderees. (Roy Banias/CIO Tagum)
