By: Rey Anthony Chiu
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Dec 10, (PIA) –The two day Provincial Anti-drug Abuse Council (PADAC) Strategic Planning Workshop rolls off today, December 13-14, 2011 without the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Convened by the Capitol through Governor Edgar Chatto, who authored the ordinance creating the PADAC, the workshop gathers at the CrabHouse in Mansasa District, legislators, representatives from the academe, provincial, municipal, barangays governments, socio-civil sectors, law enforcers, student organizations and volunteers.
After the workshop facilitators from the local Center for Local Governance of the Holy Name University presented the activity process flow, participants agree that reliable data on the gravity of drug affectation to be truly effective in the planning workshop.
These data however can only be from the PDEA, being the lead government agency mandated to spearhead the anti-drug campaign.
According to Clyde Ebojo, Capitol based workshop coordinator, the drug agency earlier confirmed its attendance to the workshop. But on the last minute, PDEA informed organizers about an emerging situation in Cebu, which prevented them from getting through.
Workshop participant and City councilor Mariquit Oppus said she wished the workshop provides a time for participants to be appraised of the real drug situation in Bohol so as to achieve and track a measurable accomplishment based on available data.
On the other hand, Camp Dagohoy representatives hinted that the PDEA would have all the council-needed data to be able to surgically address the problem here.
The PDEA as the lead agency in the campaign deputizes the police and issues control numbers to legitimize police anti-drug operations without the PDEA presence.
Beyond police anti-drug operations, it is the PDEA that police file post-operations report.
Pinspector Jojit Mananquil admit police may have some data but these are on drug personalities on the drug watch-list which is obviously not for public consumption.
Provincial Administrator Alfonso Damalerio, who called PDEA Regional Director Jigger Montallana to update the workshop was informed that a PDA representative (not Montallana himself) was enroute to the workshop.
Seriousness in support to the drug problem popped as one of the key issues the council members discussed during the workshop. (30)
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