Drug-free Philippines, other promises still to be delivered by Digong — groups

AS President Rodrigo Duterte marks his first year anniversary in office today, so does the government’s all-out war against illegal drugs.

But for the Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office (CPADAO), the war against the drug menace, which started exactly a year ago is still far from over.

CPADAO head Carmen “Ivy” Durano—Meca admits that in Cebu, officials still face a huge challenge even though anti-drug operations had been effective in most parts of the province.

According to Meca, officials still need to resolve the unwillingness of numerous local government units, both in the south and north of Cebu, to cooperate with the provincial government and law enforcement agencies to completely wipe out the presence of illegal drugs in their areas.

“It is easy for us to say a community is drug-free, but we find it hard to encourage these communities to cooperate with us on turning our vision of a drug-free Cebu into a reality. They should know that this is a shared responsibility,” Meca said in Cebuano.

Last March, CPADAO endorsed to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA–7) 120 out of 1,066 barangays in Cebu province as drug-free.

PDEA-7 will, in turn, have to confirm CPADAO’s endorsement.

Based on PDEA and CPADAO’s recommendations, only Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III has the sole authority to declare a barangay in the province as drug-free.

CPADAO was created a year ago, through a provincial ordinance authored by Meca, then an outgoing Provincial Board (PB) member.

Indignation rally

Meanwhile, around 200 members of militant groups will gather this morning in downtown Cebu City to denounce the Duterte administration’s “failure” to deliver on its promises.

“Sa ubang mga butang makaingon ta nga ni fail sulod sa usa ka tuig. Naa juy tendency nga mabira siya sa pressure sa oligarchs and pro-US nga military men sa iyang administration,” said Niño Olayvar, coordinator of Anakbayan–Visayas.

(There are certain things where he failed during his first year. He has the tendency to succumb to pressure from oligarchs and pro–United States (US) military men in his administration.)

“He does not need to depend on the foreign power for his major programs. For us, the government needs to invest on basic industries and not on foreign loans,” he added.

Greg Perez, coordinator for Pagkakaisa ng Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston – Cebu) also expressed disappointment in the Duterte administration for the approval of the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG) which bans old jeepneys from plying routes.

Perez said many drivers will stand to lose their jobs after the OFG was signed into law last June 17.

“The President needs to work more on his promises to help the poor,” Perez added.