DAGUPAN Mayor Belen Fernandez urged the chief of the Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) to hasten the completion of the construction of the two dormitory buildings for drug dependents at the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (TRC) following the recent release of another P5-million fund from the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).

Fernandez, to whom the DDB turned over the fund, told R1MC’s Dr. Roland Mejia in a meeting last week that Secretary Antonio Villar Jr, DDB chairman, released the P5-million in addition to the earlier P10-million released by the agency for the treatment of patients undergoing rehabilitation from illegal drug abuse.

Mejia, for his part, assured Fernandez that the project’s completion will be fast-tracked and the pending liquidation of the initial P10 million will be made soon.

Villar was earlier reluctant to release additional funds owing to the delayed liquidation and decision to prioritize the construction of the administration building over the dorm facility.

Fernandez said Villar is ready to give another P5-million as a third tranche of the donation once the Center becomes fully operational.

Villar said he entrusted to Fernandez the additional support from the DDB for this project because he wants the mayor, who is a strong anti-illegal drugs advocate, to oversee the project’s expenditure.

The construction of the TRC in Barangay Bonuan Binloc started during the time of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. with a counterpart fund from the Department of Health (DOH), under which the R1MC falls in the government organizational set-up.

The two dormitories, however, were built through the funds from the DDB.

Once finished, the Center will serve drug dependents undergoing rehabilitation from Region 1 and can serve 300 to 400 patients.

It opened its services for out-patients on Dec. 3, 2011–Eva Visperas

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