Monday, February 14, 2011

Bohol Gov injects measures
against drugs in schools

THE social menace called drugs has breached campus gates, reveals alarmed drug agent Jeanette Reyes of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

And it may not just addiction but retail trade that allows drugs to proliferate in the schools, the officer in charge of the local anti-drug agency said at the weekly Kapihan sa PIA Thursday.

Most drugs in the schools are shabu and these come in small packets handed to students who in turn sell these to friends, she said, detailing a distribution system participated in even by non-users.

The pay-off is rewarding and the lure is just as tempting, the soft-spoken agent shared.

In a separate interview, another PDEA agent said they have discovered that students sometimes cost-share and pitch in P100 to buy a small packet for a common pot session. 

Over these, Governor Edgar Chatto unveiled in his weekly radio media forum Friday a multi-sectoral, multi level undertaking in an anti drug campaign where cooperation is the by-word.

“If people do not get involved, they might wake up to the ugly reality that the children are already addicted, and they might already be helpless”, Chatto intoned before media and local government guests from South Cotabato.

Chatto bared the reorganization of the Provincial Anti Drug Abuse Council which he then sponsored as a legislator in 1997.

In fact, the governor gladly told everyone that the landmark local legislation came ahead of the Department of Interior and Local Government memorandum for organization of similar councils.

In his new Executive order issued to schools, he called for schools to put up drug abuse programs and get involved in setting up dialogs and symposia to assured parents that the that their kids in schools are in the safe zones for addiction.

According to the PDEA, drugs distributed in Bohol come from Cebu or northern Mindanao and seep through Bohol via many entries including backdoor passages as islets off northern Bohol where regular small boat traffic operates with seemingly cursory anti-drug frisks.

Admitting they are incapacitated to plug these entries, PDEA added that they are coordinating with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) to help them put up measures to deter entry of these prohibited substances into the tourism island.

She also said there are drug sniffing canines but sady, there is only one deployed to the region and it is at the PDEA regional office in Cebu.

PDEA also believed a drug sniffing dogs put up at the piers in Bohol can positively dent on the campaign to reduce the supply coming in to discourage users.

Putting up an impressive score of apprehensions and anti-drug operations within the first few weeks of the year, the PDEA could not but help acknowledge the cooperation of various law enforcement agencies and local governments including Bohol Capitol.

The idea is to make the most out of these positive developments we are getting, Reyes said.

Sharing they are in need of mobility assets to advance their mission, PDEA noted that the coordination and efforts by the police along with the provincial government support has produced impressive results in record drug apprehensions. (racPIABohol) 

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