HOLISTIC APPROACH. Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. delivers a speech during a command visit at the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7) Headquarters at Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. in Cebu City on Tuesday (Dec. 27, 2022). Abalos rallied for support of the Cebuano law enforcers for the success of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s more holistic approach in addressing the illegal drug problem. (Screengrab from PRO-7 video)
CEBU CITY – Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. on Tuesday underscored the commitment of Cebu law enforcers in implementing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s more holistic campaign against illegal drugs.
Abalos, who spoke during a command visit at the Regional Police Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7) at Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. here, urged the members of the local police to publicly emphasize the adherence to the rule of law and the five pillars of justice as bases of the government in the fight against drugs.
Allowing drug personalities to thrive in communities will have deplorable consequences on children who, Abalos said, are the target of street pushers because of their vulnerability.
While the police stations are mandated to put in place programs to lower criminalities in their areas of jurisdiction, Abalos stressed the need to put more effort into anti-drug operations.
He also emphasized the need for the Philippine National Police to work hard to boost the people’s trust in the justice system, citing the role of the prosecutors and the judges.
The BIDA or “Bihay Ingatan, Droga Ayawan” campaign launched in November this year, he said, will serve as an anti-drug operational guidepost for law enforcement agencies under the Marcos administration.
“The branch should be cut. The best thing to do is remove the fruit, the tree is the drug problem, the branch is the drug pusher, the root is our users who have problems at work, in the family, in the community,” Abalos said in Filipino.
He said a more holistic approach to addressing the drug problem in the country will need the participation of all government agencies, including the private sector, the church and the community.
“As the police are doing the job in arresting drug pushers, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Health will be there to rehabilitate the drug users, the Department of Labor and Employment for jobs, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and other government agencies will be there to assist,” he added.
He said the national government will craft specialized activities that will veer away the youth from the menace of drugs.
“This is our role in the government, I for the DILG, and you the police. With this, we will win this war against drugs,” Abalos said. (PNA)
