ALMOST HALF or 1,826 of the 3,895 drug users who submitted themselves for rehabilitation under the Community-based Rehabilitation and Aftercare Program failed to complete the 24-month recovery track. Connie M. Domag, City Anti-Drug Abuse Council-Rehabilitation Program Research and Data Management Director, said the high drop-out rate could be attributed to political and financial support at the barangay level. “Many of them need logistical support as they undergo the program,” she said. Many villages, particularly those in the hinterlands, are not willing to set aside funds to support the program even if the city council has urged them to provide assistance, Ms. Domag said. Senior Inspector Maria Teresita P. Gaspan, city police spokesperson, said those who enrolled in the program were among the estimated 11,500 who surrendered to the police when the campaign against illegal drugs was intensified under the Duterte administration. Ms. Gaspan said many of those who quit the program and the surrenderers who did not join have eventually returned to their illegal activities and some have been arrested. She said the local police is now looking at alternative strategies to sustain the program with more participation from schools and other community members. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

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