Looking down from the heavens, the blue sea and clear sky, the breeze and the coconut trees are what make up Sarangani Bay in the Philippines. With the Sarangani Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Center quietly sitting in the scene, it forms a harmonious and amazing picture.
A view of the Sarangani Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Center built by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) [Photo provided to sasac.gov.cn]
Noni Tan was helping the patients with their rehabilitation training at the center when the reporters visited. He waved his hands to the bright and lively music, conducting the patients as they practiced the aerobics. When the training was over, everyone hugged each other with happy faces. It is hard to imagine that Tan was once an addict.
Tan, who is now 44 years old, first fell into addiction more than 20 years ago and was once imprisoned for two and a half years because of criminal behavior. In November 2020, Tan was forced by the local court to accept drug addiction treatment at the rehabilitation center. The rehabilitation was no doubt difficult and tough but the sound medical environment and the considerate doctors and nurses helped Tan get through the hardship. At the center, Tan not only dropped the addition, but also developed hobbies in singing and dancing. After gaining professional rehabilitation knowledge, Tan decided to stay and became a worker at the center, hoping that his experience could help more addicts overcome drug addiction. Tan said that "It's spectacular here. Looking far out to the ocean, we're aware of the meaning of life."
The rehabilitation center built by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has been called "the Window of Hope" by local people. Less than four months after delivery of the center, the Agusan del Sur rehabilitation center, the second facility of its kind built by the company, was delivered. At the delivery ceremony, an official at the Philippine Department of Health said that "The launch of the rehabilitation center will help local people addicted to drugs re-embrace life."
The Sarangani Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Center adopted a modern architecture style combined with a distributed courtyard layout. The exterior wall of the center is painted with white, blue and the color of wood, which echoes the scene of the ocean and the mountains, and creates a comfortable and beautiful environment for the patients. "The rehabilitation center not only provides a comfortable treatment environment for the patients, but is also equipped with advanced medical facilities, which deserves our sincere appreciation," the head of the center said.
During construction, CSCEC adopted a localization mode and recruited 450 local workers. "We kept the principle of driving local employment and purchased local supplies like materials, equipment and furniture valued at more than $10 million, which strongly boosted local economic development," the head of the rehabilitation project of CSCEC said.
In addition, local building talents were also cultivated through the project. Maria, who lives near the center, told the reporter that "CSCEC not only offered jobs for villagers, but also taught us many new techniques. Some villagers who used to only know agricultural matters are now able to go to the town and find new jobs in the city."
The Sarangani Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Center has become a milestone project under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. For local people, it is both a splendid building and a new start full of hope.
(Executive editor: Li Zhiyong)
