By Earl Jed Roque/PNA
MANILA — The anti-illegal drug campaign of the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte is a long-term investment for the country, an official of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) said.
“This whole-of-nation approach in solving the illegal drug problem is an investment for the future; hence, all that we do today will help our children and the future generations live without fear from the scourge of illegal drugs,” PCOO Assistant Secretary Ramon Cualoping III said in a statement.
Cualoping said the government reaches out to all stakeholders to ensure that the success of this campaign is shared by the whole country.
Cualoping is currently in Davao City for the Rehabinasyon: The First National Anti-Drugs Summit, which will run from February 3 to 4.
The PCOO will gather members of the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) and partner organizations, working hand-in-hand to eradicate the illegal drug problem while providing solutions to rehabilitate former drug dependents and reintegrate them as productive members of the society.
During the first day of the summit, resource persons will present the overview of the country’s drug problem through hard facts and figures, and through today’s social context.
This will also be an opportunity for member-agencies to show the improvements in the law and order situation since the intensified campaign against illegal drugs and criminality started.
The second day of the summit will focus on the whole-of-nation approach in rehabilitating the nation.
ICAD member-agencies in the Justice, Rehabilitation and Reintegration, and Advocacy Clusters will discuss the government’s milestones in eliminating the drug menace and in helping former drug dependents reform their lives.
These panel discussions will be led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Justice, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Religious-based organizations are also expected to share their best practices in helping the government rehabilitate former drug dependents.
The summit will be synthesized through the Dangerous Drugs Board’s presentation of the Philippine Anti-Drugs Strategy via Executive Order No. 66.
Cualoping, who is also Rehabinasyon Program Director, said the summit will discuss the gains of the Duterte administration and the government’s future plans to achieve a drug-free nation by the year 2022.
“Unlike infrastructure projects, the fruits of Rehabinasyon will not be borne overnight. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. In the same vein, it takes a nation to build our children’s future,” he said.
