For its programs and initiatives against drug abuse that are worth emulating and for being one of the country’s top performers in the intensified anti-drug campaign, the Province of Davao Oriental has been hailed anew as a Gold Performance Awardee for this year.
The prestigious award was conferred by the Department of the Interior and Local Government during 2021 National Anti-drug Abuse Council Performance Award held recently via online teleconference.
Since 2017, Davao Oriental has been a consistent awardee for its successful implementation of anti-drug abuse programs which is part of Governor Nelson Dayanghirang’s thrust to prioritize safeguarding the family and the society from the threats and scourge of illegal drugs.
One of Davao Oriental’s promising anti-drug abuse programs is the Lihok Nagkahiusang Lumulupyo Kontra Droga which mobilizes communities and partners to fight against drugs up to the barangay level. In 2020, around 97 percent of the drug-affected barangays in the province had been cleared, making Davao Oriental the province with the most drug-cleared barangays in the region.
Moreover, forty percent of the more than 8,000 drug reformists enrolled under the province’s Community-Based Rehabilitation and Aftercare Program since 2016 have graduated from the program.
Governor Dayanghirang also established the Balay Silangan: Bagong Bahay Para sa Bagong Buhay, which is Davao Region’s first provincial government-run drug reformation center. The facility, since its establishment in 2018, has been providing comprehensive services for drug reformists, enabling them to free themselves from the bondage of drug abuse and transform their lives into one that is more productive.
Aside from helping former drug users, persons formerly involved in the illegal drug trade are also being aided to start over with their new lives through “Project Tulay.”
Davao Oriental was also a Golden Performance Awardee in 2017 and 2018. And in 2019, it was hailed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as the Davao Region’s Most Outstanding Province for its successful implementation of anti-drug abuse campaign activities and in 2020 became Best Implementer of Community-based Rehabilitation and Aftercare Program.
