City Hall will soon reactivate the Barangay Anti-drug Abuse Councils (Badac) in Cebu City.
This is in line with the city’s thrust to rid the barangays of illegal drugs and other substances starting at the barangay level.
Garry Lao, head of the Cebu City Office for the Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap), said their office had started visiting 45 out of the city’s 80 barangays to conduct reorientation seminars.
“The reactivation program emphasizes the principal responsibility of barangay officials to support government efforts in achieving peace and order particularly in the eradication of illegal drugs and other substances, which adversely affects the children and the youth,” Lao said.
Lao said that this is not really a reactivation, but this is more of properly forming Badac and making it fully operational.
Lao also cited a memorandum circular of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in reactivating or making Badac fully operational.
Cosap, however, has to conduct an information drive through the reorientation seminars.
Cosap had partnered with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the DILG-Cebu City in these endeavors.
Lao said that they had already conducted the seminars in 26 northern Cebu City barangays, which included Capitol Site, Hipodromo, Sambag 1, San Roque, and Talamban.
As for southern Cebu City barangays, 19 of them already underwent the seminar. These barangays included Basak Pardo, Basak San Nicolas and Guadalupe.
“The reactivated Badac also play a vital role by encouraging voluntary submission of surrenderers in their respective barangays through the We Care Program,” Lao added.
Lao was referring to the city’s drug rehabilitation program.
Lao said that he was hoping to complete the reorientation seminars in all the city’s barangays by August or September.
Meanwhile, the Cebu city government is also planning to reactivate the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cadac), which was deactivated last year.
Cadac was one of the special bodies founded by Mayor Tomas Osmena’s transition team to be duplicating functions of Cosap.
But Lao said there is already an executive order signed by the mayor for the composition of the new Cadac, but it is still with the City Legal Office for review.
Cosap, he said, will then be the implementing arm of Cadac.