Vice mayors to hold anti-drug summit

More than 700 local officials representing 108 cities and municipalities in the National Capital Region and the provinces of Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna will hold an anti-drug summit tomorrow in an effort to strengthen anti-illegal drug operations in their respective regions.

The summit is expected to result in the creation or formulation of a consolidated anti-drug campaign and a single action plan to rid Metro Manila and nearby provinces of illegal drugs.

The city government of Makati, through the Makati Anti-Drug Abuse Council (MADAC), will be hosting the anti-drug summit. It will be held at the Hotel Intercontinental Manila in Makati City.

Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado said vice mayors of the NCR, together with local officials representing the provinces of Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna, will discuss current anti-drug campaigns and offer ways on further improving the same.

Mercado, concurrent chairman of the Association of Metro Manila Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (AMMADAC), said the action plan will focus on five target areas, namely: organizational structure; program implementation; ways and means; personnel and training; and enforcement and the legal system.

All anti-drug campaign efforts and experiences of local governments in Metro Manila and neighboring localities, he explained, will be consolidated at the summit.

"The shared experiences will form the basis for drawing up plans and programs to achieve our common vision of a drug-free metropolis," Mercado said.

The AMMADAC chairman said Makati’s anti-drug drive, which the Philippine National Police (PNP) has endorsed as a model for other localities to emulate, will be presented as a best practice during the event.

Interior and local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes, PNP chief Director General Arturo Lomibao and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay will be attending the summit.

DILG Undersecretary Anselmo Avenido, concurrent director general of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), will also report on the drug situation in the metropolis.

Mercado said General Dionisio Santiago, executive director of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), will tackle relevant government initiatives while top police drugbuster Director General Ricardo de Leon will discuss enforcement guidelines.– Michael Punongbayan