GOLD AWARDEES: ALAMINOS, BAYAMBANG

ALAMINOS CITY—Twenty-eight local government units in Pangasinan were cited by the 1st National Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) Performance Awards for their successful anti-drug abuse programs this year.

Alaminos City and Bayambang were the lone city and municipality gold awardees respectively in the country.

The awardees received their citations on Dec. 28 at the Tent City in Manila Hotel.

Sharing the limelight as silver awardees from Pangasinan were the cities of Dagupan, San Carlos and Urdaneta; Alcala, Anda, Balungao, Bolinao, Bugallon, Burgos, Calasiao, Infanta, Labrador, Lingayen, Malasiqui, Pozorrubio, Rosales, San Manuel, San Nicolas, Sta. Barbara, Sta. Maria, Sison, Sual, Urbiztondo, Villasis and Laoac.

Pangasinan was silver awarded under the provincial category.

An advisory dated Dec. 18, 2018 signed by Janvier Echeverri, assistant secretary for External and Legislative Affairs of the Department of Interior and Local Government, also project administrator of Strengthening Anti-Drug Abuse Council Project, said only 241 local government units out of the 1,715 provinces, cities and municipalities across the country were cited.

Factors such as composition, financial capabilities, functionality, and accomplishments of ADACs in different levels of local government units were considered during the ADAC Performance Audit – National Calibration.

These include their financial and physical accomplishments, drug-clearing operations and community-based rehabilitation programs.

The Alaminos City Anti-Drug Abuse Council has its Alaminos Rehabilitation and Transformation (ART) Project named after Alaminos City Mayor Arthur Celeste that conducts anti-illegal drugs advocacy campaign or preventive education seminars or symposia as well as Community-Based Rehabilitation Program.

Alaminos CADAC, joined by barangay councils, Philippine National Police (PNP) and the St. Joseph Parish, implements programs to ensure the total transformation of drug surrenderers for the sustainability of Community-Based Rehabilitation Program.

The ART Project has three categories: Rehabilitation, Reformation of Drug Surrenderers and Transformation of Drug-Affected to Drug-Cleared Barangays.

Because of the success of ART Project, Alaminos was the first city in Region 1 to be declared  drug-free on June 19, 2018.

Meanwhile, one major initiative that clinched the national silver award for Dagupan City was its Sagip-User Rehabilitation and Empowerment (SURE) program, said a report from the City Information of Dagupan.

Through Mayor Belen Fernandez’s initiative, the SURE program seeks to help drug surrenderers undergo drug-rehabilitation for free and earn the chance to start a new life by providing free moral and spiritual formations and helping them earn a clean living under the city’s livelihood programs.

The program is a continuous collaborative effort among the PNP Dagupan, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the City Health Office and religious groups in helping transform the lives of drug personalities who surrendered.

As of September 2018, some 923 drug reformists already graduated from the program and these are being regularly monitored by the Dagupan PNP.

SURE Program focal person Erjon Kevin Pangilinan said, “Our SURE program primarily wants to change the lifestyles of drug surrenderers. Now, we are also working out programs for our plea-bargaining grantees.” (PhilStar Wire Service)

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