MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte yesterday underscored the need to address the drug menace on all fronts to ensure that residents, especially the marginalized are shielded from the lure of illegal drugs.
“We want to build drug-resistant communities – that even if drugs are in front of them, the people would be able to say no to drugs,” Belmonte said.
Belmonte, who heads the city anti-drug abuse advisory council, said barangays in Quezon City must become drug-resistant to put an end to the illegal drug trade.
She acknowledged that the problem of illegal drugs is deep-seated and that the government should know the root causes of drug abuse.
“Poverty, weak family ties and values, lack of education and peer pressure are some of the issues we have to address so we can have drug-resistant communities,” she said.
The vice mayor noted that drug trafficking is a lucrative business, which draws poor people who have no steady source of income.
“So we really have to tackle the drug problem on all fronts,” Belmonte said.
She cited various efforts of the city government to address the illegal drug problem, including the successful community-based rehabilitation and treatment program for drug surrenderees.
Belmonte initiated the drug education and prevention campaign in the barangays and schools to educate the youth.
She also launched the “Barkada Kontra Droga” program, which aims to promote youth empowerment through the organization of a peer group that promotes a healthy and drug-free lifestyle.
Belmonte vowed to continue working toward establishing drug-resistant communities in Quezon City, which has 21 drug-free barangays as of last year.
The vice mayor said each of the city’s 142 villages has a Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council, which coordinates with the city government and the Quezon City Police District in anti-drug operations.