PILAR, Bataan – No other than Assistant Secretary Aurora “Baby” Ignacio of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Malacanang, was guest speaker during the 49th send-off and moving up ceremony and annual meeting with support group of the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (TRC) in this town.
The send-off ceremony according to Dr. Liz Pizarro-Serrano, TRC Provincial Director, is the culminating activity for those rehabilitated drug dependents that had undergone the different sessions at TRC and have successfully satisfied the requirements of the screening committee, hence they are now fully recovered.
While other patients who have shown improvements, cooperation and interest to really change, will move to the next level with a red ID, meaning they are one step towards graduating or send off.
Also present in the event was PNP Provincial Director Marcelo Dayag, who said in his message that despite being surrenderees, they have shown good conduct to go back to normal life. They are even encouraged to be policemen wherein, “hindi na sila ang tinotokhang o hinahabol ng pulis, kundi sila na ang manghuhuli ng drug addict,” Dayag added.
Governor Abet Garcia, who was represented by Mr. Edgie Ruiz, gave a simple yet heartwarming story of an inspiration in the life of the American actor Robert Downey Jr., who portrayed the role of hero in the movie Ironman, wherein in real life, the actor used to be a drug dependent yet have realized the value of life and he changed. He is now one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood. Ruiz stressed that may that story serve as an inspiration to everybody not only to the patients, that despite life’s negative experiences and frustrations, one can be a hero in their own story.
The guest speaker, ASec Baby Ignacio who was visibly moved by the messages of the patients to their parents and vice versa, said that instead of her giving the inspirational message, she was inspired by what she witnessed, especially the parents’ unconditional love for their children, that she commits to extend livelihood fundings to the center especially for those candidates for send-off and will be facing life again after TRC.
