GOLDEN EFFORTS. Davao Oriental Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council action officer, Ronald Vidoy (2nd from left), receives the province’s Gold Award at the Davao Region Anti-Drug Abuse Council Performance Awards at the Acacia Hotel in Davao City on March 15, 2022. Seven local government units in the Davao Region also received recognition for their exemplary efforts to fight illegal drugs and reform former users and dealers. (Photo courtesy of Provincial Government of Davao Oriental Facebook)
DAVAO ORIENTAL – With its relentless and exemplary drive against the illegal drugs trade and for being one of the country’s top performers in complementing the national government’s intensified anti-illegal drug campaign, the provincial government here was a “Gold” awardee anew at the National Anti-Drug Abuse Council’s 2020-2021 Davao Region Anti-Drug Abuse Council Performance Awards.
Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) action officer, Ronald Vidoy, representing Governor Nelson Dayanghirang, received the plaque of recognition from Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) XI Assistant Regional Director, Abdullah Matalam, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) XI Regional Director, Aileen Lovitos, at the Acacia Hotel in Davao City on March 15.
Mati City and six other local government units were also Gold awardees in the Davao Region.
“We shall remain firm in maintaining our resolute focus in eradicating the immediate threats to our communities’ security posed by the evils of illegal drugs trade that destroy our future and the peace in our communities, threatening the safety of our families, particularly the youth,” Dayanghirang said in a statement read by Vidoy.
During the 2019 ADAC Performance Audit, Davao Oriental garnered a score of 100 functionality points with a corresponding adjectival functional rating of (Ideal) High Functionality.
Among the functionality score indicators are the creation and reorganization of the Anti-Drug Abuse Council, allocation of funds, implementation of plans and programs, and the conduct of meetings and innovations.
Davao Oriental has been a consistent Gold awardee among provinces since 2017 due to its successful implementation and prioritization of the programs to fight illegal drugs.
One of Davao Oriental’s anti-drug abuse programs is the Lihok Nagkahiusang Lumulupyo Kontra Droga, which mobilizes communities and partners to fight against drugs up to the barangay (village) level.
Currently, 154 villages in the province have already been declared as “drug-cleared” and five other villages are “drug-free.”
Twenty-four other villages are expected to be cleared by the second quarter of this year.
Dayanghirang also established the Balay Silangan: Bagong Bahay Para sa Bagong Buhay, which is Davao Region’s first provincial government-run drug reformation center.
Balay Silangan has already served 149 outpatient program clients and 13 inpatient program clients since the start of operations in 2019.
Aside from helping former drug users, those formerly involved in the illegal drug trade are also being aided to start over with their new lives through Project Tulay (Bridge).
On the way to a drug-free province, Davao Oriental has already produced 5,521 graduates out of 8,341 Persons Who Use Drugs (66 percent) in the community-based rehabilitation program since 2016.
The youth sector is likewise involved through organizations that provide advocacies against illegal drugs.
DILG Assistant Secretary for Peace and Order Manuel Felix and PDEA Director General Wilkins Villanueva expressed their virtual congratulatory messages to LGUs’ continuing endeavors to end the havoc caused by illegal drugs while DILG Provincial Director Orle Cabaobao received a certificate of appreciation for his significant contribution to anti-illegal drug activities and advocacies. (PR)
