EVERYDAY we read in the newspaper drug-related crimes committed in different places in our country. The drug problem is widespread and seems hopeless that even President Duterte himself stated that it is uncontrollable.
But is it really? Is there no way out of the quagmire we are in? The Chinese people once had the same problem we now experience in our country and the substance abused was opium. The same method that the present administration applied in controlling the drug problem was also used but it was to no avail. However, when the Chinese authorities noted that use of force and intimidation did not work, they changed their tactics and system of controlling the drug problem. They went back to the basic teachings of good morals based on the tenets of Confucius. Young and adults were subjected to information on the evils of drugs and this they did without let-up until the people’s attitude towards drugs was changed, and they abhorred and stayed away from drugs. Thus when there were no more falcers, the drug supply, died a natural death.
In our case, all stakeholders must work in concerted effort and in unison in combating the drug problem. The government must allocate in its budget a sizeable amount for this purpose. Seminars in the national, provincial, municipal and barangay level must be done so that a thorough information on the evils of drugs may be disseminated fully.
In the academe, DepEd must make it a compulsory subject in its curriculum from eementary up to college, information on the evils of drugs and why it must be avoided.
The Church will not just stand with arms akimbo but also must participate religiously in the war against drugs. Through its catechesis and the pulpit. Church leaders must expound the evils and horror of drug addiction continuously. (By Jose Goc-ong Hortelano, Balamban, Cebu)