Duterte unveils P500-M drug rehab center in Bukidnon

President Rodrigo Duterte led the inauguration of a P500-million drug rehabilitation center in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon on Friday.

The Northern Mindanao Wellness and Rehabilitation Center (NMWRC) located along Diversion Road at Barangay Casisang was donated by the Friends of the Philippines Foundation (FPF).

The steel-concrete facility, built on a five-hectare parcel of land donated by the city government of Malaybalay, was touted as the biggest of its kind in northern Mindanao.

The LGU said it is expected to cater not only to drug abusive patients from Bukidnon but also from other parts of the region.

The center also comes with sports facilities, a mini ampitheater, and a social events area, among others.

During his speech, Duterte lauded the efforts of those who helped complete the project, including that of Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri.

In a separate statement, the lawmaker said the NMWRC is "very different from the obsolete rehab centers as we have known before that looked more like jails rather than a place to be cured and healthy."

"Here, there are no bars, and no detention walls," he added.

Duterte also led the ground-breaking ceremony for the project last March. — Margaret Claire Layug/MDM, GMA News