BARANGAY officials from the Bunawan, Baguio, and Tugbok districts in Davao City underwent a re-orientation on the city’s community-based drug abuse prevention and rehabilitation programs at the Apo View Hotel on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026.
The Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Badac) re-orientation and capacity-building, organized by the Davao City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cadac), covered the Badac assessment indicators and the Yakap Bayan program in the morning session.
In the afternoon, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Davao Region discussed Adbokasiya Laban sa Ilegal na Droga (Alab), followed by Cadac technical adviser Wendell Tolibas on the city’s faith-based program.
Cadac district supervisor Jeff Anthony Vazquez then discussed the modules under the city’s Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program (CBDRP), including the adoption of the Ginhawa and Katatagan Kontra Droga sa Komunidad (KKDK) interventions.
Under Department of the Interior and Local Government Davao City Memorandum No. 2026-104, every punong barangay and Badac focal person must attend. The re-orientation continues by district until Oct. 30 at the Apo View Hotel and The World Palace.
Drug-cleared barangays
As of August 2026, Cadac data show that 113 of the city’s 182 barangays have been declared drug-cleared, while four are drug-free. The city’s community-based rehabilitation program has about 7,400 clients.
Vazquez said Davao City has fewer drug-cleared barangays than other areas in the region because it is strict in declaring them cleared.
“Kay isa, metikoloso kaayo kita (For one, we are very meticulous),” he said.
He said the city does not want to declare a barangay drug-cleared without first making sure the proper programs have been delivered to its clients.
Yakap Bayan
Vazquez said the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), was supposed to implement Yakap Bayan, an aftercare and reintegration program for recovering drug users.
However, he said personnel were trained, but the program was not rolled out, as the CSWDO lacks the people and funds to implement it.
“Pero karon lagi kay kulang siya og tao, kulang siya og manpower, kulang pod siya’g budget (But now, it lacks people, it lacks manpower, and it also lacks budget),” Vazquez said.
He said Cadac decided last year to budget for the program and have its own trained personnel implement it.
Three phases
Vazquez said Yakap Bayan is part of the CBDRP, which combines several interventions for persons who use drugs, drug surrenderers, and persons deprived of liberty.
The first phase is a six-month intensive program that includes Ginhawa, consisting of eight modules over one to two months, and KKDK for moderate-risk clients, which runs for about four months.
Yakap Bayan, which runs for 18 months, falls under the aftercare and reintegration phase.
Even after clients complete these interventions, the city will continue to monitor and assist them, Vazquez said.
“We do believe na ang recovery is a lifelong process (We do believe that recovery is a lifelong process),” he said. “It’s a chronic relapsing brain disease.”
Non-compliant clients
Vazquez said they handle clients who stop attending the program depending on whether they are under a court order.
For court-mandated clients, barangay officials submit progress reports to the court, which may then decide whether to revoke probation or order rehabilitation.
For those who surrendered voluntarily, barangay officials first conduct house visits. If clients still refuse to return, they may be referred to the Philippine National Police (PNP) or PDEA if they are suspected of selling drugs.
Faith-based program
Tolibas presented the city’s faith-based program, “Better Than Wine,” a 12-week program for people recovering from drug addiction.
The program is built on what it calls the four pillars of true recovery: a daily routine of reading, reflecting, and worshiping God; a “divine focus” on time with God and his word, including learning memory verses; community integration through regular Sunday services at the participant’s home church; and “multiplication,” in which participants heal so they can encourage others.
Tolibas said participants must memorize 12 Bible verses to graduate.
Under the program, participants receive a Bible in their preferred language and a notebook for daily reflections. Volunteers called “Good Samaritans” provide prayer and logistical support, including a transportation allowance, and participants share meals during the sessions. The 12th session ends with a graduation ceremony.
Graduates then become “encouragers” who mentor the next batch of participants. According to the presentation, “the healed become the healers.”
The program began in 2009 at Emmanuel Baptist Church, after a therapeutic community support group and a counselor identified the need. Seven pastors mentored seven recovering drug dependents as its first participants.
Tolibas encouraged punong barangays to assign a spiritual leader in their barangay to handle the program.
Vazquez urged barangays to have their faith-based leaders trained in Better Than Wine, saying its modules are designed specifically for persons with addiction, unlike regular testimonial sessions, which clients may find tiresome. He said barangays may conduct the sessions in batches, weekly or monthly, depending on clients’ availability.
A Better Than Wine orientation for pastors is set for next year, as there is no schedule for this year.
In Barangay Buhangin, the program runs every Friday for 12 weeks, Barangay Buhangin secretary Lolita Diong said. Barangay Kagawad Gladdys Alcober Manit leads the program, and participants who complete it receive a certificate of completion. GRS