BAGUIO CITY– One of the centerpiece of the government thrust under the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte is to curb, if not to totally eliminate drugs in the Philippines.
As a support, the city government of Baguio is continuously intensifying the campaign against criminality especially against illegal drugs.
Moreover, the Department of Interior and Local Government Baguio Field Office recently issued a memorandum dated July 11 enjoining all punong barangays to mobilize their Barangay Anti- Abuse Councils (BADACs) to lead the fight against the use and sale of illegal drugs.
The BADACs have a very big role in eradicating drugs in the community as well as in monitoring the trade of illegal drugs that are being operated in the barangays.
To date, 686 drug personalities voluntarily surrendered and signed their pledges of commitment to stop their drug dependency and trade.
Alarmed with the significant number reported, the City Council recently approved Resolution No. 142, series of 2016 introduced by councilor Michael Lawana requesting Mayor Mauricio Domogan through the City Social Welfare and Development Office and other concerned agencies to assist barangay officials in dealing with issues and concerns regarding the unprecedented surge and instantaneous voluntary submission of persons-of-interest in connection with the use and/or sale of illegal drugs in their respective barangays.
Stated in the resolution, “due to these turn of events, barangay officials were caught unprepared and considering their budgetary constraints, barangay officials are in a quandary as to how to handle issues and concerns pertaining to the following: 1) provisions of free mandatory drug tests for persons-of-interest; 2) rehabilitation center/s to accommodate and cope with the rising numbers of persons-of-interest, 3) provision of alternative livelihood programs for persons-of-interest; and 4) assurance as to the security and safety of the persons-of-interest who voluntarily submitted themselves to the authorities.”
“It is necessary that mandatory appropriations for the BADACs must be made and incorporated in the annual budgets of the barangays and the menu of activities and projects of the BADAC are not limited to campaigns against illegal drug use but also activities such as seminars and the like,” stressed Lawana. **Jho Arranz