TACLOBAN CITY – The Victory Outreach International Ministries has expressed commitment to- help in the rehabilitation of drug dependents fro free if the victims would submit themselves voluntarily.

Virginia Lovely – Sanvictores, regional overseer of Victory Outreach, said there were already five drug dependents from Eastern Visayas that are now housed at the rehabilitation center of the ministry in Blumentritt and Tondo in Metro Manila since last month.

Sanvictores added that the group of drug addicts was the first batch since the ministry has started promoting its program in the region during the last quarter of 2004.

The pre-launching of the advocacy on anti-drug dependency was held last November 2004 in Borongan, the capital town of Eastern Samar, with the support of Governor Ben Evardone and some local chief executives of the province.

The same activity was also undertaken in Calbayog City in Samar. Both Samar Governor Mila Tan and Calbayog Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento have vowed to help the ministry in their campaign through the local social welfare and development office.

The Victory Outreach has been soliciting support of local government officials to identify drug dependents in their local area for rehabilitation.

Sanvictores is optimistic that drug dependency can be transformed into a Christ- centered life through a home-based and gospel feeding approaches. The ministry considered their recovery homes as a Holy Spirit hospital.

“It is very vital to reach them because God needs them for the expansion of Jesus’ ministry in the Kingdom of God. With God on our side, I am confident that this advocacy will prosper and many drug addict6s will become preachers and genuine transformation is transparent on them upon recovery,” Sanvictores said.

She aims to visitor schools, jails, hospitals, parks and far-flung areas among other places where she can share the word of God and educate them on the negative effect of drugs.

The series of film-showings and lectures were conducted in strategic places where illegal drug trades are possible to occur. These activities aims to maximize her efforts in the values formation program educating and reminding students, teachers, parents, men in uniforms, inmates and other people in all sectors of the society.

Sanvictores, who was trained as evangelist-preacher in the Victory Outreach International Ministries, focused herself on street evangelism and jail ministry where she visited on several occasions the New Bilibid prison in Muntinlupa City where “hard core criminals” are found.

She has been involved in Evangelical Crusades in prisons and happily noted that many of them are now saved because they received and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.