We hope this partnership works.
In spite of the sour relationship between President Rodrigo Duterte and Catholic leaders in the Philippines, representatives of the Catholic Church and concerned government institutions are set to discuss on Wednesday, a project promoting a community-based approach to fighting illegal drugs.
Their plan is to create rehabilitation centers for drug users in at least 20 parishes around Metro Manila. Their target is to help “experimenters,” who only use drugs on rare occasions.
“We will be meeting so that we can discuss the community-based rehab centers that we will put up immediately. This is ASAP,” said Interior Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III.
The government agencies joining the program? The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Department of Health (DOH).
“Densing said parishes will provide personnel to run the center while the government will provide supplemental needs like skills training care of Tesda, classification of drug surrenderers by the DOH, after-care program from the DSWD while the DILG and local government units will provide additional support,” says a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
If successful, they are hoping that other faith-based institutions all over the country can help create similar programs.
