Three months after they finished their six-month drug rehabilitation program in Magalang, Pampanga, 60 of the 142 former Tokhang surrenderers are now ready to move forward with PhP 10,000 worth of seed capital from City Government of Valenzuela bestowed through three biggest cooperatives in the city. 

The program is part of the 18-month after care program that seeks the welfare of the former drug dependent personalities under Valenzuela City’s Comprehensive Anti-drug Support Program, the vc Cares Plus. Through the City Council Resolution No. 959, or the Drug Rehabilitation Graduates Productivity Program, the city government is committed to partnering with the city’s best performing cooperatives to implement policies and guidelines reflecting reasonable financial assistance to ensure satisfactory livelihood opportunities among the worthy beneficiaries. 

The resolution allowed the city chief executive to enter into an agreement with the San Isidro Labrador Parish Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Valenzuela Development Cooperative and Holy Cross Savings and Credit Cooperative as conduit of the capital grants. The partnership is expected to yield a continuing efforts to combat the drug menace and in quest to assist the rehabilitated victims of illegal drugs to become productive citizens of the city. 

The city has allotted financial assistance amounting to Php 10,000.00 per graduate in the form of loanable amount from the cooperatives. Out of the allocation from the Graduate Fund for each qualified beneficiary, the amount of Php 5,000.00 shall form part of each beneficiary’s initial share capital in the qualified cooperative. The other half of the financial assistance shall form part of a guarantee fund to be managed by the qualified cooperative to ensure the integrity of the fund in case of non-completion of loan payment. 

Prior to the awarding of capital grants, the beneficiaries received financial literacy and basic cooperative training facilitated by the Cooperative Development Office (CDO). They also underwent another round of mandatory drug testing to ensure that the beneficiaries of capital loan assistance are drug-free. Those who retained their negative status during the drug testing are qualified for the program, while those who have not yet submitted themselves are asked to undergo the drug test and present themselves. Should they turned out to be negative, they will form part of the second batch of the capital grant beneficiaries. 

Mayor REX Gatchalian assured the beneficiaries that the local government will continue to monitor their status and provide them necessary assistance. Earlier, the city chief executive has also mandated the Public Employment Services Office (PESO) to provide jobs for the qualified beneficiaries who chose employment opportunities over livelihood packages.