Category: Politics

A multimillion drug rehabilitation facility will soon rise in Davao City.

A groundbreaking is scheduled December this year and it will be funded by Resorts World Manila and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor).

City Administrator Zuleika Lopez said the facility will complement Davao’s current drug rehabilitation center in Bago Oshiro, a facility that is also servicing even drug dependents from outside the city.

Lopez said that the facility will be built on a 2.5-hectare property in Malagos.

Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte on Tuesday welcomed the news, saying it will definitely help the city accommodate more drug dependents who wish to reform.

“We support this because this will also help decongest our rehabilitation center,” said Duterte during the revived weekly public affairs program Pulong-pulong ni Pulong Tuesday morning.

At present, the Davao City Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Drug Dependents (DCTRCDD) in Bago Oshiro can only accept a maximum of 100 people.

Davao City has recorded around 9,000 drug personalities who turned themselves to the authorities since July.

Vice Mayor Duterte meanwhile hit back at Senator Trillanes anew for the senator’s challenge for a drug test. This after the young Duterte hinted earlier that he is gathering evidence against a senator that is using cocaine.

Though not named, Senator Trillanes immediately took up the cudgel and challenged Duterte for them to undergo drug test which the vice mayor accepted.

In Tuesday’s press conference, VM Duterte said he was advised by President Rodrigo Duterte not to mind detractors like Senator Trillanes.

The Davao City Council on Tuesday approved the release of P4.5-million cash assistance for the victims of Roxas night market bombing that left 14 dead and 70 others injured.

The cash assistance, which was approved based on an urgent motion during the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) regular session, will be sourced from the City Government’s Crisis Intervention funds and incident expenses.

Lawyer Raul Nadela Jr., chief of staff of Mayor Inday Sara Duterte said the distribution of cash assistance will immediately start Tuesday night.

Each family of 14 fatalities will receive P40,000 while the 70 injured will be given P30,000 each from the Crisis Intervention Fund.

The city will also shoulder the food expenses during the wake of the 14 victims for a maximum of 10 days, and the meals of watchers of injured victims for 20 days.

The burial lot at the Davao Memorial Park including the excavation fee will be sourced from the city’s incident expenses.

Nadela added that the Mayor initially gave out cash assistance to all the blast victims from her own money.

Meanwhile, support for grieving families of the night market bomb victims as Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) Secretary Silvestre Bello III as he gave out P10,000 cash assistance to each family of the 14 dead victims and P5,000 to each injured victim.

Bello personally visited the wake of fatalities and injured victims in various hospitals on Monday afternoon.

Bello said the assistance was pooled from the Employment Compensation Commission (ECC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC) under DOLE.

Also, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Davao Manager Gloria C. Ybanez said Monday her office is now processing the documents needed for the payment of medical bills of all blast victims including those who were already discharged from the hospital. CIO