A second chance — that’s what most drug users need and it’s what Davao City is giving some of them.
Around 33 former drug users who surrendered to the local government have completed a week-long training on disaster reduction and management that, hopefully, will help them recover from addiction and lead more productive lives.
Headed by the Regional Public Safety Battalion-Davao of the Philippine National Police and Davao City’s Central 911, the project aims to equip former drug users with technical knowledge that may come in handy in emergency situations like natural calamities.
Most of the participants were from barangays of Tigatto, Maa, 76-A, Matina Aplaya and Matina Pangi, all flood-prone areas.
The youngest surrenderee was only 17 years old.
“After this training, the drug surrenderers will already be able to properly respond to emergencies or disaster,” said RPSB-Davao head Senior Superintendent Joel Consulta in a report by SunStar.
Consulta is confident that the communities can rely on the trained reformed addicts when disaster strikes.
Thousands of drug users surrendered to the government in the wake of the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign. We can only hope that the other former addicts would also be given a similar chance to improve their lives.
