TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Mayor Ferdinand Tubban is appealing for the active participation of city local government unit employees here in the eradication of the drug menace. More than 800 individuals have already surrendered to the Tabuk City police due to Oplan Double Barrel: Operation Tokhang.
Relating a recent meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte, Tubban disclosed that the province of Kalinga along with Tabuk City committed that by the end of December 2016, the drug trade should have already been stopped. According to him, the police has identified 55 pushers who have not yet surrendered.
“We have to call the attention of these people for them to give up their illegal activities,” the mayor said.
The mayor also commended the partnership of the police and Shalom Kalinga, a volunteer group providing the initial intervention for the surrenderees in the form of spiritual and social counselling.
In support of this endeavor, the Tabuk City Local Government Operations Office (CLGO) under the leadership of Mediatrix Aliño has also directed all the barangays to conduct their barangay assemblies to prepare their development agenda, which includes the planning and budgeting of their Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs) and Barangay Peace and Order Councils (BPOCs).
Stating that they are the first line of defense in the war against drugs, Aliño urged the barangay officials to take the initial actions to secure their communities from the drug menace.
She warned that barangay officials should take their role in the illegal drug clearing of their communities seriously because it would be difficult to explain if their barangays would be leftout in the campaign.
To meet the December deadline for the elimination of the drug trade in the city, barangay officials are encouraged to continuously gather and update their data on all drug-related incidents and its effect on the peace and order situation including listing of suspected drug users and pushers for the immediate action of the government and private groups and individuals involved in the anti-drug campaign. **By Geraldine G, Dumallig