Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo on Sunday called on the Department of Health (DOH) to submit to Congress a comprehensive plan to upgrade public residential drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers (DATRCs), amid reports of overcrowding and that individuals seeking admission are placed on a waitlist.
“We would urge the DOH to prepare a more aggressive plan to augment the number of beds in existing DATRCs so that funding may be included in the 2025 national budget,” he said in a statement.
“If we want to succeed in suppressing the demand side of our illegal drug problem, we have to improve public access to DATRC services,” he added.
Under the law, a drug dependent may, by himself/herself, or through his/her parent, spouse, guardian or relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity, voluntarily seek admission to a DOH-run DATRC.
Any person arrested, and who is found positive for illegal drug use after a confirmatory test, also faces compulsory six months minimum rehabilitation in a DOH-run DATRC.
The DOH currently operates 23 DATRCs in 14 regions.
Under the 2024 General Appropriations Law, the DOH is spending P1.58 billion to operate the DATRCs that get an additional P409 million in combined capital outlay to upgrade and expand their facilities, Rillo said.
“We are ready to endorse bigger funding in 2025 to increase the beds of existing DATRCs, and to build new centers if necessary in regions where there is growing demand for their services,” he noted.
