Government anti-drug efforts lacking — Garma

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has called on local government units and business sector to provide rehabilitation programs for drug users.

Senior Superintendent Royina Garma, CCPO director, said the police’s anti-drug operations are “useless” when the demand for illegal drugs in the city is “still high.”

“It keeps on coming in despite seizing drugs worth millions of pesos. We see that there is still a thriving market because of lots of drug users,” she said.

The seizure of P18-million worth of shabu from Elymar Ancajas in Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City was one of CCPO’s biggest operations this year.

To address drug use, Garma stressed the need to encourage drug users to undergo rehabilitation.

The police director, however, lamented that drug rehabilitation efforts of local government units are lacking.

“Ang probelama walang effort na ganun, kung meron man eh kulang,” she said.

Garma said the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) convened only once since she assumed as city police director on July 1, 2018.

Garry Lao, head of the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) and co-chairman of CADAC, clarified that the CADAC meeting is done quarterly.

He admitted though that the council failed to meet in January owing to the Sinulog Festival preparations.

He said CADAC will hold the first quarter meeting on April 8.

“We will discuss the city’s drug situation, the community-based rehabilitation program, and other pressing concerns,” he told The FREEMAN.

He added that the council will also discuss the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7’s advocacy to make business establishments a drug-free workplace.

Moreover, Lao said the city government is not remiss in its duty to help and improve the lives of the drug users/dependents.

He said the city has an existing community-based rehabilitation program dubbed “We Care,” which provides drug users free treatment and counseling, among others.

The program was launched in 2016 at the height of the implementation of Oplan Tokhang, a police door-to-door anti-drug campaign where suspects are asked to surrender and sign documents renouncing their involvement in illegal drugs, either as a user or a peddler.