Valenzuela City will grant capital for business to graduates of its drug rehabilitation program.
According to Mayor Rex Gatchalian, 60 of 142 former “Operation Tokhang” surenderers are now ready to move forward after three months that they have finished their six-month drug rehabilitation program in Magalang, Pampanga.
The P10,000 in seed capital from the city government will be coursed through the three biggest cooperatives in Valenzuela.
The program is part of VC Cares Plus, the 18-month after-care program that seeks the welfare of the former drug dependents under Valenzuela City’s Comprehensive Anti-drug Support Program.
Through the City Council Resolution No. 959, which created the Drug Rehabilitation Graduates Productivity Program, the city government “is committed to partner 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 mayor 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 conduits of the capital grants.
The partnership is expected to boost the city’s continuing efforts to combat the drug menace and assist the rehabilitated victims of illegal drugs to become productive citizens of the city.
Of the allocation from the Graduate Fund for each qualified beneficiary, P5,000 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. 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.
Gatchalian assured the beneficiaries that the local government will continue to monitor their status and provide them necessary assistance.
He also directed the Public Employment Services Office to provide jobs for the qualified beneficiaries who chose employment opportunities over livelihood packages.
