Youth join fight vs. drugs

Educating the youths about the ill effects of illegal drugs has taken centerstage in the recent anti-drug congress, dubbed as Ok Ka Kid or Ok-Kabataan Kontra Illegal Droga, which was held at the Cebu Normal University yesterday.

Close to 300 young people from 35 barangays and 20 schools in the city took part in the Ok Ka Kid congress that was held to generate awareness among the youths and students about the dangers of using illegal drugs.

Councilor Augustus "Jun" Pe Jr., chairman of the committee on dangerous drugs, said the congress was a preventive education on illegal drugs that would compel the youths and students to resist drug pushers.

It was also part of the city government's continuing campaign against illegal drugs, said the councilor, adding that the participants were issued with Ok Ka Kid membership IDs to show their willingness to follow a drug-free life in the community.

Other speakers in the congress were lawyer Paul Clarence Oaminal of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and director Vicente Aldanse of the Recovery House Center. They gave lectures on the hazards of illegal drug abuse.

The two officials said there is a need to empower the youths with resistance from temptation of drug use, and turn them as good influence to their peers.

The purpose of the event was in line with an earlier directive of Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno to local chief executives nationwide.

Puno urged mayors to establish and operate special drug education centers that would be the venues for educating out-of-school youths and street children about the ill effects of drug use, and divert them to beneficial activities.

Puno also ordered the formation of special drug education teams to help their respective LGUs sustain the government's campaign on drug prevention.

"These centers shall promote programs for drug abuse prevention with the aim of educating them about the pernicious effects of drug abuse, thereby contributing to their total development as self-reliant and socially responsible members of society," said the secretary.

The creation and operation of these centers are in accordance with Section 46 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, he said.

These centers will have vocational room, tutoring room, counseling room, library, conference room, comfort rooms, sleeping quarters, dining area, kitchen, and staff offices.

These shall be located in an area that is accessible to schools, churches and hospitals while being far from places of conflict, cliffs, rivers, gas and power stations, and other hazardous structures.

A social work development officer shall head the center, which would also be manned by a full-time social worker, manpower development officer, and administrative personnel.

The center shall keep and maintain files and records of out-of-school youths and street children, as bases of monitoring their progress and determining the needed services for them.

Puno said those LGUs with existing facilities that already provide similar or related services could convert these into a special drug education center. - Garry B. Lao/RAE