TWO towns in northern Cebu have been recognized by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for their efforts in the war against illegal drugs.
The municipalities of San Remigio and Poro along with four towns from Bohol Province were hailed as the 2019 National Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Adac) performance awardees in Central Visayas.
San Remigio, Poro and the towns of Balilihan, Candijay, Calape and Garcia-Hernandez in Bohol received plaques of commendation after they achieved a perfect rating of 100 percent in the recently concluded annual Adac performance audit.
Signed by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Dec. 10, 2019, DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2019-208 provides the extension of the award in recognition of the “exemplary efforts” of local government units (LGUs), through their respective Adacs, in complementing the National Government’s efforts in eradicating the country’s illegal drug problem.
The award is given to LGUs with high Adac functionality scores by maintaining or decreasing their drug affectation as reported by the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In separate interviews with SunStar Cebu on Tuesday, Dec. 17, San Remigio Mayor Mariano Martinez and Poro Mayor Edgar Rama attributed the feat to the collaborative efforts of their communities and stakeholders.
The 27 barangays in San Remigio and 17 barangays in Poro were also able to maintain their drug-cleared status for the past two years.
“Our Adac has a plan, budget and meets regularly. In short, it’s really functioning. All our barangays are already declared drug-cleared. We will try to continue to get the support of our community and people so we can sustain our efforts,” Martinez said.
Rama, for his part, said that from more than 400 drug dependents in 2016, they are now down to 196 this year.
He said community involvement helped a lot in their anti-drug campaign, as well as the livelihood trainings provided to drug surrenderers so they can start anew.
“The constituents of Poro have developed within themselves a culture of excellence. They want to become champions not just for themselves but for the whole town,” Rama added.
The awarding ceremony held at the Manila Hotel in Ermita, Manila on Dec. 16 was organized by the DILG and the Dangerous Drugs Board.