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Thursday, March 16, 2006
Threats work as barangays reactivate anti-drugs councils
Threats to put their honoraria on hold worked after Cebu City’s barangays complied with the requirement to reactivate their anti-drug abuse councils.
Cebu City Councilor Augustus Pe Jr., chairman of the council committee on dangerous drugs, said the barangays have complied with the requirement.
Pe pressured the barangay officials that he would strictly implement a Department of Interior and Local Government memorandum that requires an active barangay anti-drug abuse council (Badac) before the honoraria of barangay officials are released.
Grassroots
The move is to ensure that each barangay has activated and maintained an effective Badac.
So far, none of the honoraria is being withheld, Pe said.
“Before, they were complacent because they are not getting any support,” Pe said.
Now that he is focusing on the campaign at the “grassroots” level, which is the barangay, officials apparently have also renewed their zeal.
He said 60 barangays have already submitted their action plans to fight illegal drugs.
These plans will serve as basis for a consolidated action plan for the City.
To reduce the demand for drugs, the police and the City “will go (to the) grassroots” by launching educational campaigns even at the sitio level this year.
Barangay Ermita, in particular, recently asked authorities to conduct a saturation campaign in Sitio Warwick Barracks, which officials described as “haven of hardened criminals,” who include drug pushers and killers.
The police responded and confiscated at least 17 illegal gambling machines and assorted drug sniffing paraphernalia. Six bettors were also arrested.
Testing kits
Also, through a resolution that Pe proposed, the City Council last March 1 charged against the City’s Pagcor funds P105,000 the purchase of 100 drug testing kits.
The City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention will use the kits to conduct surprise testing on City and barangay employees within the year.
The staff members of Councilors Pe, Edwin Jagmoc and Jose Daluz III were the first to undergo the test last month.
So far, no one tested positive—a result that will serve as ground for an employee’s dismissal from service. (RHM)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (March 16, 2006 issue)
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