Interior Secretary Mike Sueño will be meeting with Gov. Hilario Davide III and the Cebu Provincial Anti-Drugs Abuse Office (CPADAO).
According to CPADAO head Carmen Durano-Meca, Sueño wanted to learn more about the provincial government’s programs against illegal drugs especially the creation of the CPADAO, which is a first in the country.
“Governor Davide and the CPADAO were invited to the meeting for us to present our best practices especially in establishing a department (or office) focusing on the anti-drug issues and problems by the Cebu Province which is a first here in the Philippines,” she told reporters.
Meca said the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is planning to replicate the province’s practices and programs in other areas in the country.
The meeting will be held at the Casino Español in Cebu City today at 4 p.m.
It was only last month when the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) approved an ordinance creating the CPADAO. Previously, the province only had a Cebu Provincial Anti-Drugs Abuse Commission (CPADAC), which has been downgraded into a policy-making and recommendatory body to CPADAO.
Meca said Sueño considered the creation of CPADAO a best practice since there’s no law requiring its creation.
“They also want us to present our linkages and on how we manage to link our programs and our thrusts with other government sectors as well as nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and private sectors,” she added.
Meca said the CPADAO acts as the lead agency together with other government agencies and groups in addressing issues and problems on illegal drugs.
With the CPADAO, she said programs of the province become sustainable and institutionalized since it’s already established as a department and is allocated a yearly budget by the provincial government.
The CPADAO has four divisions, namely, administration, operations, health services, which include the treatment and rehabilitation of the province’s aftercare program, and public affairs.
“In that sense that it’s now a department, we are well-equipped to run programs because we have personnel that can manage our programs,” she said.
Meca said the President Duterte’s fight against illegal drugs can be complemented by the local government’s programs.
She admitted that local governments didn’t expect the huge number of surrenderers all over the province.
Based on their records, over 23,000 drug pushers and users have surrendered all over the province.