THE best-performing local Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (Adac) in the country will be given recognition by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement his office will start an assessment to identify the Adacs that are not lagging behind in their campaign against illegal drugs.
“Ensuring that Adacs are effectively performing their mandate is a paramount priority for the DILG. These Adacs are our allies in our anti-illegal drugs campaign so it is right to acknowledge their contributions to the campaign against illegal drugs in the country,” Año said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“Thus, it is also vital to evaluate their performance and see what can still be improved in our policies and enforcements,” he added.
To be eligible for the award, Año said the Adacs must first attain a high rating and rated as highly functional in the DILG Adac performance audit to be conducted by the Philippine Anti-Illegal Drugs Strategy-Project Management Office (Pads-PMO) which will assess their functionality and effectiveness in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of anti-illegal drug activities.
Año has issued Memorandum Circular 2022-034, which sets the criteria for determining the best Adacs. According to the secretary, an Adac will be assessed through its Barangay Adac (Badac) functionality or the percentage of total barangays with highly functional Badacs (30 points); sustainability of drug-cleared or drug-free status (40 points); and, reduction of drug affectation as of 2020 (30 points).
According to Año, Adacs that have garnered 75 or more points will be awarded in a ceremony to be organized by the Pads-PMO.
As for the functionality and audit score of Adacs, these will be determined in terms of organized local Adac, conduct of Adac meetings, allocation of funds for anti-illegal drug activities, formulation and implementation of Adac plans and program, supervision and support to Component ADACs and their innovations.
Adacs that will “attain 85 to 100 points will be classified as highly functional, those with 51 to 84 points are moderately functional and those with 50 points and below are low functional,” according to the DILG.
“We are urging LGUs (local government units) to strive for excellence and be proactive in their campaign against illegal drugs. LGUs that are effectively carrying out their duty in our ongoing campaign deserve to be awarded,” Año said.