13 top business groups to help build rehab centers

MANILA, Philippines – Thirteen leading business groups in the country have vowed to help the government improve its rehabilitation program amid the all-out war against illegal drugs, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said yesterday.

President Duterte and other officials have been saying that the existing rehabilitation centers can no longer accommodate the drug users and pushers, now reaching 700,000, who have surrendered to authorities.

Secretary Ismael Sueno said the DILG would enter into a memorandum of agreement with the 13 business groups after identifying their possible contributions to the government’s integrated and comprehensive campaign against illegal drugs.

The 13 business groups include DMCI Holdings, Inc.; Manila Broadcasting Co. (MBC); JG Summit Holdings, Inc.; GMA Network, Inc.; PJ Lhuillier Group of Companies; PLDT; SM Supermalls; Megaworld Corp.; Philippine National Bank; Jollibee Food Corp.; Rustan’s Supercenters, Inc.; Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc.; and Ayala Corp.

DILG Undersecretary for Operations John Castriciones said the business groups made their commitment during a meeting in Malacañang, which was also attended by DILG officials, early last week.

Castriciones said there were initial discussions on how they could participate in the government programs and some of them manifested their willingness to donate funds for the construction of rehabilitation centers.

“The (rehabilitation) program covers the construction of four additional rehabilitation centers nationwide,” Castriciones said.

Two of the rehabilitation facilities will be built in Luzon, one in the Visayas and another one in Mindanao.

He said another proposal sought the construction of one rehabilitation center for each region.

Meanwhile, based on the information provided by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), 70,000 or 10 percent of the 700,000 total surrenderees shall be committed to the government-run rehabilitation centers.

Authorities said the 70,000 drug dependents would require more thorough and immediate care. The rest will undergo the community-based rehabilitation.

Castriciones explained the surrenderees, particularly in the rural areas, would be made to participate in tree-planting activities, help spearhead the green campaign of the government or join the livestock-raising scheme.

“Surrenderees in the urban areas will be involved in the cleanup drive of the ‘esteros’ or waterways and avail of the training for vocational skills in cooperation with the TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority),” he added.

The attendees in the meeting in were former DMCI vice president Ronald Elepano Jr.; MBC president Ruperto Nicdao Jr.; JG Summit senior vice president Renato Salud; lawyer Jason Bayan, also of JG Summit; GMA Network executive vice president and chief operating officer Rikki Escudero-Catibog; Jose Miguel Jimenez of Lhuillier Group; and PLDT senior vice president Michael Toledo.

The others were SM Supermalls president Annie Garcia and vice president Ryan San Juan; Megaworld president and chief executive officer Andrew Tan and senior vice president Kevin Tan; PNB senior vice presidents Erwin Go and Manuel Bahena; Jollibee CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong and vice president Carina Agarao; Rustan’s vice president Roland Villareal; former senator Manuel Villar, chairman, Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc; and Ayala Corp.–Ayala Foundation, Inc. president Ruel Maranan.