EDITORIAL - Community awareness

It's good that the police have been hugely successful in their campaign against illegal drugs in Cebu of late. And we do hope that this success would continue until the battle will finally be won.

While Cebuanos have hailed the authorities for scoring big against this number one problem in the community, cleansing every street and barangay of the prohibited drugs is really a tall order.

For one, there's really no guarantee that after a series of police operations, an area will remain free of illegal drugs. Illegal drugs are still bound to return considering the fact that the police still lack the resources to maintain the area safe from the menace.

Therefore, there is a need for residents to pitch in and assist the authorities. Their help would certainly play a very vital role in the campaign against the proliferation of illegal drugs in their area.

Let's admit that the battle against illegal drugs will never be won if we leave all the campaign solely to the police. We all know from past experiences that police operations are only limited to seizures and arrests of those involved.

However, maintaining a barangay free from drugs needs more than just a series of police raids. It needs a very active participation of the whole community if we want to deliver a huge and decisive blow to the enemy.

Vigilance remains absolutely one of the sharpest tools in the heightened battle against illegal drugs. But to win against the menace, community awareness must also be intensified.

However, information dissemination remains absent in many barangays. In Cebu City, for example, we have yet to see active community awareness in areas where drugs are known to proliferate freely.

Cebuanos have rejoiced as police swept through drug lairs across the province in a series of major drives against pushers and dealers. But raids are not expected to bring a decisive impact unless, of course, there is strong participation from the people themselves.