GOV. Gwen Garcia has declared an all-out war against illegal drugs as part of her push to expand the membership of the Provincial Peace and Order Council to include the participation of fiscals and judges.
Garcia had first waged war against illegal drugs, illegal fishing, terrorism and insurgency during her previous term as governor.
The governor is also reviewing the deed of donation with Globe Telecom Inc. regarding the construction of a drug rehabilitation center in Pinamungajan town.
Garcia admitted that she has yet to decide whether the Provincial Government, through the Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office, will manage the facility or turn it over to the government agency that has jurisdiction on such matters.
The New Life Center stands on a 2,600-square-meter property. It has a total floor area of 930 square meters with 106 beds for rehabilitating drug dependents from around the province.
The P50-million facility is set to start operating in the fourth quarter of this year.
Garcia said the war against illegal drugs will require everybody’s participation.
“In fact, kitang tanan (all of us) we’re agreed unless (you’re a) drug lord ka, (you’re a) drug pusher ka or (you’re a) drug addict ka, nga (that) the drug problem is a very, very serious menace karon (now). And wa tingali tawo (And no one) in his right mind who would not want to fight this menace,” she told members of the media during a press conference on Thursday, July 11, 2019.
Garcia lauded the suggestion of Jonah John Rodriguez, the new head of the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention, to set up a Metro Cebu Anti-Drug Abuse Council to consolidate all the efforts of local government units (LGUs) in the metro to combat the drug menace.
But current government structures that are involved in the fight should first be identified, she said.
According to the governor, if Metro Cebu is serious in addressing the problem, it should involve other towns and cities in the metro like the cities of Talisay, Naga, Carcar and the towns of San Fernando and Minglanilla in the south and the cities of Mandaue and Danao and the towns of Cordova, Consolacion, Liloan and Compostela in the north. (From SCG of SuperBalita Cebu, PJB)