PALAYAN CITY—Nueva Ecija Gov. Czarina Domingo Umali vowed to make the province drug-free by “wiping out” drug use through a bloodless reformation of addicts and pushers.
Umali told the province-wide Anti-Illegal Drugs Summit at the Palayan City Convention Center on Friday that the province has declared a war of attrition against drug lords and a war of compassion for both addicts and pushers.
She informed the 3,000 participants that the provincial government intends to build “BahayPag-Asa” or rehab centers in all the 27 municipalities and five cities of the province as well as embark on a massive information and education campaign in schools and churches.
Umali also presented a framework to eradicate illegal drugs apart from “OplanTokhang” of the Philippine National Police.
The framework employs a two-pronged approach of rehabilitating drug dependents and preventing more people from getting addicted.
During the summit, Umali told the PNP that their role in the anti-drug campaign should be limited to the apprehension of suspects and the acceptance of surrenderees.
“No drug addict or pusher should be left in our province. I want them all eliminated by showing them the concern of a society which they thought had turned its back on them,” she said.
“Once drug victims have surrendered or have been apprehended, it is now the role of the local government units [LGUs] and the various stakeholders to take care of them from rehabilitation to their reintegration into the mainstream of society and restoration,” the governor added.
“The idea is to bring back the dignity of the person who was once an active and productive member of the community. This is not merely rehabilitation and reintegration but restoration,” she explained.
The summit was organized by the provincial government through the Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council and the Provincial Task Force Against Illegal Drugs.
The Padac is chaired by the governor’s husband, former three-term governor Aurelio Umali.
She said that aside from the LGUs, the church, schools, families, national agencies and the non-government organizations also play crucial roles in the rehabilitation.
The province will also tap the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Department of Education for skills training and livelihood projects for those who have surrendered.
“We must win the battle against illegal drugs because what is at stake here is not only the youth of today but future generations. We shall win. And we can win,” she said.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Isidro Lapeña and Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary John Castriciones attended the summit.
