A ‘one strike’ policy is being enforced by Cagayan de Oro City Hall on ‘plea bargainers’ or drug offenders that secured a plea bargain from the courts in the event that they test positive for drug use.
Rhyselle Descallar, who heads the Oro Wellness Clinic, said this in response to public concerns about drug offenders going into relapse or returning to selling and/or using drugs after completing rehabilitation or posting bail after being caught by police.
She said the Oro Wellness Clinic, a one-stop facility that handles processing of surrendered drug users and peddlers in the city, doesn’t mix surrendered pushers with recovering drug responders since it would only disrupt the rehabilitation process.
Should the ‘plea bargainer’ test positive for drug use, they are returned to jail,. Descallar said. At the same time, she said the city government is doubling their efforts to mobilize barangays into instituting or reviving their Community Based Rehabilitation Program or CBRP.
Descallar also thanked the City Council for voicing their concern and eagerness to support the city government’s anti-drug campaign during their regular Monday afternoon session last Sept. 16.
Aside from this, Descallar said the city government through the Cagayan de Oro City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) is providing livelihood to recovering drug responders through programs like the monthly Tabo sa Mini-Park that sells products made by them to the public./Videos, photos and text by SC with additional photo by Jay Arancon of CIO
