TCI Village, which describes itself as “a healing place for persons with addictions,” has recently been granted accreditation by the Department of Health (DOH).

Established a little over a year ago, the rehab facility, located in a spacious, quiet compound in Amadeo, Cavite, is headed by its program director, Jun Tan, and co founders Joel Chavez and Joey Ibañez. (TCI ,or Total Care Institute, is also an acronym of their surnames.)

The facility was designed to house 80 patients or residents.

Tan has enough “lived experience” to know how to deal with substance abuse and other problems.

“As a recovering person, like our residents, I have abused drugs and gotten hooked on gambling,” he says.“I’ve also hit rock-bottom.”

After entering rehab and completing his first recovery program, Tan recalls “suffering a relapse almost immediately. I had no sense of humility and no acceptance of my situation and my problem.”

He was brought to another program and found himself at a crossroads. “I realized I really had a problem and needed help,” says Tan. “I needed to change.”

After the program, Tan worked initially as a member of a pick-up team, then as a program staff and eventually program director.

“It dawned on me that I was about to live my life to help people suffering from addiction,” he admits. “I also began to appreciate the simple joys in life. I made a decision to help myself by helping others.”

He adds that he has a profound sense of fulfillment helping people recover from addiction through mentoring.“Having been a program director at another facility for 13 years, and after living the past 18 years in the joy of sobriety, I felt it was time to take my life’s work to another level and help a bigger number of people.

Hence, TCI Village was born,” says Tan.

Two residents

In his previous work as program director of another facility, Tan says he had two residents, Joel Chavez and Bill Ibañez, who were successful in their recovery. Together they established TCI Village.

“My rock bottom was  May 2013,” Ibañez recounts.

“I was sent to rehab by my sons against my will. It was Kuya Jun Tan who fetched me from the detox facility.” Ibañez describes Tan:

“He never talked much. He’s a mild-mannered person. I didn’t know he would greatly impact on my recovery.” Tan says he, Chavez and Ibañez help maintain each other’s sobriety:

“We shared the same vision—to give back and share the blessings.” Tan updates his knowledge by participating in training seminars.

I have kept abreast with developments in the field of addiction treatment, like, for instance, attending the Certified Recovery Specialist program at Namseoul University of South Korea, and local training programs of the DOH.

I still strongly believe, however, that my years of lived experience as a person in recovery is the most valuable form of training.

“What were the challenges he had to deal with?

“The path that we traversed was, with God’s help, a very smooth one,” says Tan.

“We built TCI to be a lifetime institute where one can seek help from addiction. We put our hearts and our love into it. Putting up this facility, there were no conflicts of purpose between us co founders.”

What inspires him to keep going?

“To see others recover, pick up the ruins of their lives and make a complete turnaround and be productive gives a certain ‘high’ like no other,” says Tan. Ibañez says, “TCI won’t be successful without Kuya Jun.Joel and I fancy ourselves as TCI’s muscles and brains, while Kuya Jun is its heart and soul.

“The residents, as well as codependents of TCI, totally trust him. When all are confident of the leader’s ability, the belief that change can happen is a positive reinforcement that makes healing a reality.

He has presence, patience, humility and the skills in implementing TCI’s program. He is a gift to all of us.”As for the future, Ibañez says “the plan is very simple, to reach out to as many people as we can to accommodate and help them recover.

“As a government-approved facility with a dynamic, eclectic  program utilizing bio-psychosocial approach to treatment, TCI is confident in bringing change to peoples’ lives. We are bridging efforts with other treatment and educational institutions here and abroad, along with certified recovery specialists.

Visit TCI Village on facebook.com/pg/tcivillage; contact 09778140656,  09499967357, 09175457519; e-mail [email protected].