TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Nov. 11 (PIA) -- The Bohol Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) under Vice Gov. Dionisio Victor Balite is poised to introduce the necessary amendments to harmonize the duration of rehabilitation of persons who use drugs (PWUD) based on their affectation under the local ordinance with the recently-issued regional manual to guide the implementation of the community-based drug rehabilitation program,.

It may be recalled that in 2017, the SP enacted Provincial Ordinance No 2007-004, which adopts the Community-based drug rehabilitation program Without-Walls (CBRP-WoW).

The move was to provide a comprehensive drug rehabilitation program aimed at providing holistic approach for drug users to save them from wasting their lives, through therapeutic methods, while redeveloping their physical, emotional, psychological, social, economic and spiritual strengths on their way to the mainstream, explained Balite.

The goal is to achieve a Drug-Free Community or Family through proper evaluation and determination by appropriate government agencies and stakeholders, based on the ordinance preamble.   

With the preservation of life as the anchor of the program, CBRP-WoW allows the PWUD – whether drug-dependent or a first-time user - the chance to change his life and survive on the support of their family and community.

The CBRP-WoW, under Section 4, lays down two rehabilitation durations, namely: three-month program for those assessed as low-risk drug users, not violent, and of sound mind; and five-month program for those assessed as moderate-risk and of sound mind.

The more serious cases will be placed under a medical institution for a more intense rehabilitation program.

However, the Department of Health (DOH) Region 7 recently saw the need to bridge the gap between the knowledge of the nature of drug use and drug dependence and the implementation of the various approaches needed to be done in the various levels of care.

With this, the DOH7 issued a regional Guidance Manual on CBRP for PWUDs in Central Visayas to address the issues and concerns on provision of services especially at the community level where a greater percentage of those affected needs primary health care.

Instead of the simplified classification and duration of the rehabilitation, and based on the need to fit the ordinance to the regional manual, the SP through the sponsorship of Board Member Tomas Abapo proposed to amend the said section to accommodate the general intervention program for PWUDs.

Bohol is proposing to put up a one-month rehabilitation program for “low-risk” PWUDs or those with “mild substance disorder” and for those who voluntarily gave themselves up to authorities.

The sessions would depend also on the way the PWUD is coping and may be extended based on the individual performance.

These would be in eight sessions with Philippine National Police personnel who graduated from the Training of Trainers (TOT) for CBRP acting either as interventionists or facilitators.

There is also a four-month program intended for “moderate risk” PWUDs covering 20 sessions.

The ordinance, when passed in its amended form, would now have a provision for CBRP for those who have been apprehended and mandated by the courts to undergo rehabilitation.

A six-month program would be implemented for court-mandated PWUDs who have Mild Substance Dependency after undergoing a Drug Dependency Examination (DDE), and this would have sessions longer than six months.

This is because the first four months would be for the General Intervention and Community-Based Treatment and the remaining months will focus on the Social Support Group Sessions.

With this, the SP is expected to pass the amended version to align its CBRP to that of the programs of the national government to attain a “Drug-free Philippines.”

Those who would be classified under the said categories would be screened based on the result  of the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Tool – Brief Intervention or the DDE to be administered by an accredited medical professional in the Rural Health Unit. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)