CADAC trains BADAC Counselors for CBRP
As part of its strategy to successfully implement the Community-Based Rehabilitation Program (CBRP), the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) began training potential counselors in the barangays on November 4, 2020 until all barangays are saturated.
In Barangay Zone 3, six aspiring counselors, including several barangay officials, pastors and a retired teacher, received their first family, psychological and spiritual counselor’s training conducted by the CADAC-Aftercare city-based counselors.
After a series of lectures, participants performed a role-playing exercise to assess their level of readiness. Meanwhile, barangay officials have also learned how to align their action plan to further their drug eradication efforts.
The CBRP is one of the three pillars of MASA MASID, a barangay-based anti-criminality, anti-corruption, and anti- illegal drugs program which encourage multi-sectoral partnership to intensify the spirit of volunteerism at the community level. CBRP is just one of its three strategies, remaining two of which are: demand reduction through information and education campaign; and supply reduction through information gathering and reporting.
Faced with the dilemma on how to offer patients’ care, family care and community care, CADAC Action Officer Agustin Dema-ala deployed the CADAC in-house counselors to replicate their counseling skills to designated barangay counselor’s, some of whom were already accustomed to doing so. Since the Recovering Drug Dependents (RDDs) are special people with different needs, counselors are trained to meet those needs. The implementation of the CBRP is a key requirement for PDEA XII to declare a particular barangay as a “Drug Cleared Barangay”.
The CBRP is designed to offer holistic interventions for Recovering Drug Dependents (RDDs) with focus on the handling of the body and soul, involvement of the support of the families and the communities. It will cover psychological, neurological, spiritual and social dimensions. The focuses are not only on the healing of the patient but also care for their families and the whole community. Facilitated by the Community Rehabilitation Network Program, a 48-day period is required to complete the program depending on the patient’s condition.
With the expansion of CADAC-Aftercare services to Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils, the city government hopes to saturate the 27 barangays who will be at the forefront of offering a holistic approach to recovery at the grassroots.