COTABATO CITY — The Department of the Interior and Local Government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DILG-ARMM) has moved to further strengthen its Anti-Drug Abuse Councils to help solve the region’s drug problem.
As of last year, the regional offices of the Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and other law enforcement agencies have listed about 56,000 individuals in the ARMM who are coping with drug problems.
Lawyer Noor Hafizullah Abdullah, DILG-ARMM Secretary, said in an update that there was a proposal to create a Regional Anti-Drug Abuse Council for ARMM to oversee the performance and achievements of lower-level assemblies, specifically those from the provincial, municipal, city, and barangay levels.
He said the LGUs are also actively supporting the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
Abdullah added that the DILG-ARMM has issued an order to all LGUs to conduct anti-terrorism summits and to help monitor the activities of suspicious individuals in their respective areas.
“We want to make a statement that our LGUs in the ARMM are competent,” he said.
Abdullah has also warned local government executives over the issue of absenteeism, citing a recent memorandum of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to closely monitor non-performing mayors in Mindanao, including the ARMM.
“Appropriate sanctions are up for the absentee mayors,” he said. (Noel Punzalan/PNA)
