PROPOSED REHAB CENTER SITE

LINGAYEN –It’s final.

The Philippine Army (PA) rejected the proposed plan to use a portion of Camp Tito Abat in Manaoag as site for a boot camp-type of rehabilitation for some of the 16,000 drug pushers and users that surrendered in the province.

Instead, PA recommended the use of its camp in Binmaley town.

Gov. Amado Espino III received the letter from the PA informing him of the decision denying his request for the use of about 10-hectare area inside Camp Tito Abat as a drug rehabilitation center.

Initially, Col. Melchito Meligorio of the 72nd Infantry Battalion earlier welcomed the proposal to set a drug rehabilitation-cum-boot camp at Camp Tito Abat.

However, he said the imprimatur of the Armed Forces of the Philippines was needed to authorize it.

While Espino welcomed the counter-proposal, he expressed reluctance to accept it since the camp has no perimeter fence to secure the rehab participants from outside.

In view of the rejection, the governor said it will first consider putting up the drug rehabilitation center in an unfinished facility in Burgos town situated on a three-hectare lot donated to the province in 1992 during the administration of then Gov. Rafael Colet by the late Burgos Mayor Demetrio Cabiles.

The facility was never completed due to lack of funds and succeeding provincial administrations did not pursue the project.

Espino said he had talked to the heirs of the late Burgos mayor who readily agreed to continue the use of the property for drug rehabilitation as originally intended.

Espino noted, however, that the area can only accommodate fewer participants.

He emphasized that the boot camp-type of rehabilitation center will only be for moderately affected youth who still have a bright future ahead of them if only they will abandon drug use.

He also clarified that the provincial government will continue to study the feasibility of the Binmaley Army camp as a drug rehabilitation center.

Meanwhile, the governor said he may ask the help of two congressmen–Leopoldo Bataoil of the second district and his father Amado Espino Jr. of the fifth district—for the needed support to develop the Binmaley Army camp as a drug rehabilitation center. (Leonardo Micua)

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