MANILA, Philipines — In November 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte opened the Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (MDATRC) at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija province as part of the administration’s efforts to provide a health component for his war on drugs. The 10,000-bed center was to be made available to some of the 700,000 drug users who had turned themselves in at the time under “Oplan Tokhang” of the Philippine National Police. ADVERTISEMENTHuang Rulun, a Chinese real estate tycoon, donated P1.4 billion for the construction of the center in support of President Duterte’s antidrug campaign. Santiago said a community-based rehabilitation program for drug users would be more effective than the “megadrug rehab” center, pointing out that a family support system was vital to the recovery of drug users. In November last year, at least 40 employees, including 25 psychometricians or case managers, resigned due to delayed wages.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer April 09, 2019 23:15 UTC