GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The provincial government of South Cotabato has allocated some PHP4.1 million for the implementation of awareness and advocacy campaign against illegal drugs.
Boardmember Agustin Dema-ala Jr., action officer of the Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Padac), said Monday the funds will be utilized for the conduct of a series of information and dissemination activities in local schools and communities.
He said these activities, which are under the council’s advocacy cluster, will be launched in partnership with the Department of Education, South Cotabato Police Provincial Office, Provincial Information Office, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Part of the funds will support the rollout in the next school year of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE), Kabataan Laban sa Iligal na Droga (KID Listo) and the Barkada Kontra Druga (BKD) programs, he said.
The DARE program is being implemented by the South Cotabato police in various public elementary schools within the province’s 10 towns and lone city.
The Kid Listo and BKD, which are under DepEd’s National Drug Education Program, involves public high schools in the province.
Dema-ala said other lined up programs are the search for outstanding local anti-drug abuse councils and the Provincial Drug Summit, which will be facilitated by the DILG.
“We prioritized these awareness and advocacy activities as part of our demand reduction strategy for illegal drugs,” he said.
The advocacy cluster takes up about half of the initial PHP8-million budget approved by the local government for the Padac this year.
It set a budget of PHP2.46 million for the rehabilitation cluster, which involves programs for the rehabilitation of drug dependents.
These include capability-building trainings for implementers, setting up of the therapeutic community program and purchase of drug testing kits.
Under the enforcement cluster, the Padac allotted some PHP1.52 million for the mobilization funds and incentives of anti-drug units.
Of the council’s PHP8 million budget, Dema-ala said PHP2 million will come from the office of South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes and PHP6 million from the Peace and Order Council funds.
He said it will get an augmentation of PHP6 million later this year through the provincial government’s supplemental fund.
It will be utilized for the purchase of a vehicle worth PHP1.5 million for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, support to the Masa Masid program, conduct of the search for outstanding municipal anti-drug abuse councils, purchase of medicines and drug testing kits and support to outpatient drug rehabilitation facilities. (Hydee Templonuevo/PNA)
