August Highlights for the ISSUP Philippine Chapter
The month of August was a fruitful month for the ISSUP Philippines Chapter as it held its own in-person training on Motivational Interviewing, as well as continued its advocacies with partner government agencies and private institutions nationwide. In particular, the Chapter wishes to highlight the following achievements:
Foundations of Motivational Interviewing for Substance Abuse Practitioners
Last August 19 to 21, 2026, the ISSUP Philippine Chapter conducted a three-day training entitled "Foundations of Motivational Interviewing for Substance Abuse Practitioners" in Makati City, with 28 addiction professionals joining from government and private drug rehabilitation and treatment centers nationwide. The training guided participants through the basic principles of Motivational Interviewing, from understanding its spirit and philosophy to putting its communication skills into actual practice with clients. To achieve this, the training was designed around roleplay and skill application rather than a lecture format, which participants responded to with great satisfaction; the participants gained applicable skills they could immediately bring directly into their work with People Who Use Drugs (PWUDs).
Review of Policies to Shift from Punitive to Health-Oriented Measures for Drug Use
The ISSUP Philippine Chapter also participated in the National Institutes of Health - University of the Philippines Manila's (NIH-UPM) study entitled "Review of Policies to Shift from Punitive to Health-Oriented Measures for Drug Use" under a focus group discussion session on July 11, 2026, along with other stakeholders involved in drug-related policy and programs across the Philippines. Discussions involved the complex phenomenon interactions of substance use as shaped by personal motivations and socioeconomic inequities, and how the country's prevailing punitive and abstinence-only systems too often channel PWUDs into the criminal justice system in ways that are more harmful than helpful. From this discourse, the NIH-UPM study ultimately seeks to propose evidence-based recommendations for health-oriented and rights-based policies that shift care for PWUDs towards public health systems rather than prison.
[Participants of the Foundations of Motivational Interviewing for Substance Use Professionals]
[Mr. Reniel Cristobal, one of two trainers for the Participants Foundations of Motivational Interviewing for Substance Use Professionals]
Pharmacotherapeutic Guidelines for the Medicine Access Program for Mental Health (MAP-MH)
The Chapter continues its role as part of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the Medicine Access Program for Mental Health (MAP-MH). The MAP-MH is an undertaking of the current administration to update its guidelines on providing free psychiatric medication to aid Filipinos who are in need of them.
The TWG convened in-person on August 24-28, 2026 in Angeles City, Philippines as part of a general assembly involving stakeholders of the overhauling of the Medicine Access Program for Mental Health (MAP-MH). Specifically, the Chapter provided its expertise under the Sub-TWG of Substance Use Disorders, with two other Sub-TWGs formed for Mental Health and Neurologic Conditions.
[Dr. Mariano Hembra (leftmost) representing the Chapter in the Updating of the Pharmacotherapeutic Guidelines for the Medicine Access Program for Mental Health (MAP-MH)]
