The Department of the Interior and Local Government-NCR (DILG-NCR) as lead of the ICAD-NCR Advocacy Cluster, hosted a webinar on the new Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program (CBDRP) guidelines for the Local Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (ADACs) of NCR LGUs on November 11, 2021 via Zoom.

The activity is part of the quarterly advocacy initiatives of the cluster, which seeks to reaffirm the commitments of the stakeholders in combating illegal drugs in their respective localities and promote cooperative engagements between ADACs and National Government Agencies (NGAs) and Civil Society Organizations, as mandated under the Philippine Anti-Illegal Drugs Strategy (PADS).

DILG Undersecretary for External and Legislative Affairs Ricojudge Janvier M. Echiverri graced the said activity and encouraged the local ADAC members in attendance to heed the new guidelines in order to properly implement the CBDRP in the field. “The CBDR program continues to reflect the commitment of the DILG to innovate, to update and to be informed about the situation in the ground; it weaves the stories of the PWUDs who are rehabilitated and reintegrated in the community, a real measure of success which is beyond the numbers”, USEC Echiverri said.

In her message, DILG-NCR Regional Director Maria Lourdes L. Agustin, CESO III emphasized that despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s fight against illicit drugs continues unabated. “NCR LGUs, through their respective Local ADACs, have a crucial role to play in the drug war to ensure that the next generation, living in the new normal, is liberated from the bane of illegal drugs,” she said.

Other topics discussed were PDEA’s Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP), DDB Regulations No. 7, s. 2019 and No. 4, s. 2020, Aftercare Program and the Yakap Bayan Initiative of the DSWD-NCR, and CBDRP Quarterly Reporting Form and Mechanism of the DILG.

The speakers’ roll includes PDEA-NCR Agents Jasmen Colladilla and Melanie Martinez, DDB Attorney Jose Rodolfo Diaz, CPA, DSWD-NCR Social Welfare Officer V Miriam Navarro, and PADS-PMO PDO III Ryan Danel Salivia.

DILG-NCR Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Division (LGMED) Chief and Secretariat Lead, RPOC-NCR Special Action Committee on Anti-illegal Drugs (SAC-AID), Elsie H. Castillo expressed the Department’s gratitude to all the participants and agency partners that served as Resource Persons in the activity. “We hope that with this webinar, the participants will not only enhance their skill set but also renew their resolve to create a drug-free community that is peaceful, progressive, and resilient”, Castillo added.