Fifteen persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) completed the Katatagan, Kalusugan at Damayan ng Komunidad (KKDK) program Sept. 16 at the San Carlos City District Jail compound.
The KKDK program of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is a psycho-educational drug counseling and rehabilitation program for PDLs with substance use disorders or drug-related cases, particularly those who have applied for plea bargaining.
The program has a maximum duration of four months, the city said in a press release.
The completers received certificates during the ceremony, led by BJMP regional director, J/Chief Supt. Brendan Fulgencio, San Carlos City District Jail warden J/Chief Insp. Joaquin Jude Ledesma, Jail Insp. Jessa Mae Guiang, and Narcotics Anonymous facilitator John Paolo Licarte.
Fulgencio thanked personnel of the San Carlos City District Jail for the successful implementation of the program, which he said has helped the PDLs take steps toward changing their lives.
He reminded the PDLs that their mistakes are part of their life story but should not define their future.
He encouraged them to choose to change, love their families, take responsibility for their actions, accept their mistakes and make better decisions, choose friends who genuinely care for, love, and guide them, and remain hopeful as they move forward, reminding them that everyone has a chance to start over.
Ledesma said he witnessed the determination of the PDLs to change their lives, with the strong support of their families, and encouraged them to use what they learned from the KKDK program after their release, stay away from situations that could lead them back to prison, and work toward becoming productive members of their communities. ||
