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Around one in four of the 2.3 million (or 25 percent) drug users in the Philippines are unemployed, according to initial findings by the National Anti-Poverty Commission, which was based on figures from the Dangerous Drugs Board in 2015.
Data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) shows there are already 1.2 million drug users who have voluntarily turned themselves in for rehabilitation. However, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) believes former drug dependents still need further assistance to obtain decent jobs.
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Bukas na Pintuan Tungo sa Pagbabago is just one of the ways by which NGCP bridges power and progress. Through CSR projects hinged on education, livelihood and community development, safety, and the environment, NGCP contributes to the nation’s social and economic development while ensuring reliable power transmission across the country.
NGCP, the sole operator of the country’s power grid, is providing much-neeeded assistance to recovering drug users by giving them a second chance at life through its Bukas na Pintuan Tungo sa Pagbabago (“Open Door Towards Change”) program, by providing skills training and employment opportunities to former users and dependents.
“Everyone deserves a second chance. We believe in the willingness to change and strong potential of former drug users to join or rejoin the workforce,” NGCP said. “A productive and effective way to wage war on drugs is to provide adequate training and employment opportunities to former drug users, so that they can turn their lives around and provide a better life for themselves and their families.”
Bukas na Pintuan Tungo sa Pagbabago not only addresses the need for more skilled workers in the country, but also provides recovering drug users the assistance and support they need to steer them back to the right path.
“As the program’s name suggests, we want to open doors to positive change and more productive lives. We also hope that with these opportunities, former drug users will permanently turn their backs on illegal drugs,” added NGCP.
Transforming lives through training and employment opportunities
As a CSR program of NGCP, Bukas na Pintuan Tungo sa Pagbabago is being piloted in Bataan. It will support the Bahay Pagbabago Reformation Centers of the Provincial Government of Bataan, which were designed to actively help former drug dependents who have voluntarily surrendered for rehabilitation.
Bukas na Pintuan’s pilot projects will be implemented in three Bahay Pagbabago Reformation Centers located in the municipalities of Dinalupihan, Orion, and Balanga City.
NGCP has allocated PhP10 million for the program in 2017 and 2018. The amount will go towards funding the operational expenses and the supplies and materials needed for the skills development training under TESDA.
It will also cover the honoraria of the program trainers and the assessment fee of the trainees to acquire National Certification II (NC II) in Scaffolding Erection and Pipefitting.
“Our end-goal is for the beneficiaries to become TESDA-certified, so that they have a better chance of securing viable employment and livelihood opportunities,” explained NGCP.
NGCP aims to have up to 2,100 program beneficiaries over the two-year period. It will work closely with the local government units (LGUs) of the host municipalities to identify the beneficiaries, and coordinate with TESDA for the training programs and the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) for the employment of the program graduates.
By working closely with the LGUs, NGCP can also closely monitor the skills training and the employment status of the beneficiaries. This, in turn, will strengthen the grid operator’s partnership with the LGUs of its host communities.