Clarin LGU implements “SALTU” program to sustain “Tokhang”

By Jun Enriquez

Clarin Mayor David Navarro (Front row 4th from left with eye glass) & Misamis Occidental Board Member Dan Navarro (Front row 3rd from right), joined with rescue 911 trainees.

Clarin, Misamis Occidental – Clarin municipality continuously conducted massive campaign against illegal drugs by initiating a drug rehabilitation program called SALTU, "Save the none users and Love The Users" in response to “Tokhang” (toktok-hangyo), it means knock and appeal to stop the proliferation of illegal drugs. SALTU was Conceptualized in the later part of 2014 by the then Clarin Municipal Councilor Dan Navarro now a Board member in this province. The SALTU project was implemented in 2015 Combating the drug menace due to limited funds of individual drug victim for rehabilitation. The poor victims usually are not accessible on rehabilitation center because rehabilitation cost in Ozamiz City is 10,000 pesos per month for the poor victim and 30,000 pesos per month for the personalities who can afford economically. Rehabilitation cost In Oroquieta city is 4,000 pesos but the center is already overcrowded.

In a media briefing on July 20, 2016, Ms. Lynne De Guzman-Pina, Program Manager of the Holistic Humanitarian Initiatives and Development, Inc. that implement the SALTU program and working as partner of the Local government of Clarin said that in the rehabilitation center there is no integration of body, mind and soul of the person. SALTU program is awareness raising, planning top down and bottom up, identification of resources, organization and selection, training, network, documentation, monitoring and evaluation, preliminary research to collect data on doing awareness project.

 

Ms. Pina (center) & Mike Navarro (right)
conducts interview with Kapitan Dula.

Ms. Pina said SALTU program aims a drug free community, support and empowered community members in preventing and eliminating the use of dangerous drugs. The LGU of Clarin created a SALTU committee to implement the program. There is also an evaluation of the program with evaluators are coming from the Misamis University. SALTU program are divided into three categories, the Universal, selective and indicative programs. There was also created a composition of teams and committees based at barangay level with community volunteers coming from the “tokhang” personalities. Ms. Pina said there is a detox water that will remove the chemicals from the body that will help on the process of rehabilitation that will help the fast recovery and neutralize the body of the illegal drug dependents from its use. One gallon of detox water will cost at least 100 pesos but it is given free produced by BM Dan Navarro as part of the SALTU project.

The SALTU committee is compose of Barangay chairman, Barangay Kagawad chairman on health, Barangay Kagawad chairman on Peace and order council, Chairman of the Barangay Anti-drug council, Department of Education, religious sector, other organizations and interested personalities. There is also a SALTU CARE program composed of the Church, Agencies, Rehabilitation centers and everyone who wanted to contribute their expertise voluntarily. Activities considered the care of the drug victims are Spiritual, Social, Economic, Psychological, environmental and physical involving sports. The provincial government of Misamis Occidental conducted drawing contest on the impact of illegal drugs whose contestants were coming from the victims of illegal drugs and Clarin contestant was the first prize winner.

Barangay Chairperson Salvacion Dula of Cinangay Sur called Kapitan Dula said that they implemented the SALTU program in their Barangay. She recounted her experienced the people under the influence of illegal drugs were very violent as if they were not afraid of any laws. They broke streetlights and bottles on the road during the night. Vehicles and motorcycles roamed around until morning. She said it’s a headache of having those kind of people in their Barangay. There are 82 drug dependents in Cinangay Sur surrendered to authorities and about 3-5 personalities recommended for rehabilitation. Kapitan Dula observed under the Duterte administration implemented Tokhang and identified people dependent on illegal drugs have surrendered voluntarily to the Barangay hall and were endorse to the police and the Municipal Mayor and they committed to change their behavior for good.

Kapitan Dula said at present Barangay Cinangay Sur is already a peaceful community. The families of the “tokhang” personalities are now happy because instead their income will be used to buy illegal drug called “shabu”, now they can buy food and other needs in the family. Domestic violence due to illegal drugs also reduced. She said she observed anew at 8:00 O’clock in the evening major streets in Barangay Cinangay Sur are already peaceful. No more people violently roaming around during the night time.

Kapitan Dula said the Barangay council of Cinangay Sur assisted the beneficiaries of implementing the SALTU project with the help of the Clarin LGU, Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Agriculture (DA) in the implementation of a gardening project located in the vacant lot of the public school in the Barangay. Every Sunday there is spiritual lectures conducted by the religious leader-volunteers and at the same time the Barangay council and police will be able to monitor the presence of the “Tokhang” personalities.

 

Ms. Pina (left) & Mike Navarro (right) during
an interview with Board member Dan Navarro. 

Misamis Occidental Provincial Board Member (BM) Dan Navarro, the main author of the SALTU program said he conceptualized the emergence of SALTU based on his previous experiences as a community organizer and the implemented community based activity projects. He said there should be love and prayerfulness together with the children as a basic formula. The youth are the most affected in the proliferation of illegal drugs that’s why there is the importance to “save the non-users and love the users” BM Navarro said. “Killing was not in the heart of the people in Clarin because we believed that there is change through self-reflection and self-reform with the help of the non-government organization (NGO)” BM Navarro emphasized.

The Tokhang project is just to identify the surrenderees of drug pushers and users. The national office of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will sustain the Tokhang operation. BM Navarro said SALTU is a sustainable program that will help sustain “Tokhang” campaign with the cooperation of the religious groups, Barangay council, Department of Education, among others. The SALTU project has focused in one model Barangay and produced a good result because all illegal drug surrenderees behaved. There are 626 illegal drug personalities actually engaged in SALTU program while others undergo self-recovery.

BM Navarro said there is 2.7 Million-peso project for the construction of multi-purpose building primarily for the rehabilitation and training center which funds coming from a certain Foundation, the land for the building is a counterpart of the local government. The construction will probably start this year. There is a plan to implement the SALTU program in a province-wide of Misamis Occidental. Any program will not run without funds, the role of the provincial government is very important to implement the SALTU program in the province. The SALTU project has gained volunteers support at Barangay down to Purok level with those persons affected by the illegal drugs, The Tokhang personalities were challenge to volunteer with positive response to render voluntary service without any remuneration.

 

Participants of the rescue 911 training

In line with the national campaign against illegal drugs, the Provincial government of Misamis Occidental conducted a training seminar on rescue 911 emergency response. BM Dan Navarro said "as committee chairman on Disaster Preparedness and management, and committee on Dangerous drugs, I believe in quick response to address the crime, drugs and disasters in the province particularly in the second district of Misamis Occidental". He also said that "to this cause we will come up with the best program/ system for this drug menace and crimes. The system that can cater the second district-wide composed of 5 municipalities and 2 cities to be dispatched on the training". The Board Member added that they plan to establish 911 central command to operate 24/7 in order to respond quickly on every emergency situation in the province. BM Navarro said "this is now part of real change that I believe the 911 in Malacañang is looking forward for the strict implementation of the progrsm nationwide".

Clarin Municipal Mayor David Navarro said that Project Tokhang was fully implemented in Clarin town under his watch. He said that there are at least 1,500 “Tokhang” personalities in Clarin and now on the process of rehabilitation under the SALTU program. Mayor Navarro is the Interim president of PDP Laban in Misamis Occidental but he was in the controversial list of President Duterte on drug related case as David Navarro of Pagadian City. Mayor Navarro said that he lived in Pagadian City in 1994 and transferred his residency in Clarin in 1996 and later on became a politician. He is waiting to receive clearance from DILG Secretary Sueno to clear his name in the drug list. He said Mayor David Navarro of Clarin is not the same person of David Navarro of Pagadian City as of the present time.

Mayor David Navarro (right front row) &
PINSP Bryan Daculos with the illegal 
gambling operators at the background.

Mayor Navarro said that the next project is to step up the campaign against illegal gambling in Clarin. The Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Director Gen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has a new directive to stop illegal gambling. Mayor Navarro said that Illegal karrera and illegal swertres games must be stopped. The people can have a legal betting at the lotto outlets. Police Inspector Bryan Daculos, local police chief said they already started the implementation of apprehending illegal gambling on the night of September 19.

Illegal gambling was considered to be the livelihood of the concerned people. Mayor Navarro said he will give alternative livelihood support and for the meantime he gave one sack of rice to each individual engaged in illegal gambling while looking for a job or alternative livelihood. He is calling the people in his town to unite and stop the illegal gambling activities in Clarin for the good of the community. He said the police is always ready to apprehend any violators and will be dealt with accordingly. Mayor Navarro said his actions on “Tokhang” and the stop of illegal gambling in Clarin are manifestations of support to the program of President Duterte. With reports from Mike Navarro, photo by Jun Enriquez.