ILOILO CITY -- The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on Monday passed two resolutions that will ensure functional Municipal and Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (M/BADACs) in Iloilo province.
The move was in response to the request of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) to help them in their relentless campaign against illegal drugs by urging all the local government units (LGUs) to guarantee that their anti-drug abuse councils are active.
IPPO Director, Senior Supt. Marlon Tayaba, said there are still LGUs in the province with non-active MADACs and BADACs. However, he refused to identify the municipalities and the barangays.
He said that these councils are supposedly active in providing the names of drug users or drug pushers in their communities.
The resolution was sponsored by Board Member Domingo Oso Jr. of the committee on public order and safety.
Oso said during the height of the illegal drugs campaign of (President Rodrigo) Duterte administration, they have already passed a resolution, creating and intensifying the MADACs and BADACs in the province, especially in identified drug-affected areas.
“We are just reiterating this in support to the relentless campaign of the IPPO against illegal drugs,” he said in a media interview.
Oso observed that functional MADACs and BADACs really helped the IPPO in neutralizing drug personalities and eliminating illegal drug activities in communities.
Board member Liecel Seville, also of the same committee, authored another resolution requesting the provincial office of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to ensure and monitor the functions and activities of MADACs and BADACs in the province.
“We know that it is under the mandate of the DILG to ensure the functionality of our special bodies like MADACs and BADACs. I know that DILG has been doing this but we really want to further assure since our IPPO presented that there are still non-functional anti-drug abuse councils in the province,” she said.
The local anti-drug council has the responsibility to gather names of drug personalities to be submitted to Philippine National Police, undertake information dissemination on ill-effects of illegal drugs and help in the rehabilitation of drug surrenderers.
Since January until March 26 this year, Tayaba said that they have already conducted 32 drug-related operations in the province and arrested 37 drug personalities.
He assured that they are continuously intensifying their campaign to eliminate the illegal drug problem in the entire province. (PNA)
Photo by Cindy Ferrer
