ILOILO City – Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne Baronda refiled a bill that seeks to institutionalize the anti-drug abuse councils (ADACs) across the country.
House Bill 756 mandates all local government units (LGUs) – from provinces to cities, municipalities, and barangays – to create or organize their respective ADAC that would spearhead the planning and implementation of all local anti-drug abuse programs and activities.
In filing the bill, Baronda believes that there is a need for a holistic approach/program that will not only focus on apprehending illegal drug personalities but also on their reform and rehabilitation.
“If you want to change your lifestyle, you wanted sang pagbag-o, dapat may aksyon nga magatutok sina dira para mabuligan ang ina nga drug user or drug pusher,” Baronda said in an interview.
The ADAC would be a multi-sectoral council composed of local officials and representatives of various community organizations to lead in the planning, implementation and monitoring of local anti-drug abuse programs and projects.
Under the proposed measure, the LGUs would be tasked, among others, to do the following:
● activate, strengthen and ensure functionality of its ADAC;
● approve a comprehensive local anti-drug plan of action to eliminate drug addiction; and
● appropriate a substantial amount of funds not lower than two percent of the annual appropriations for anti-illegal drug-related programs and activities and operations as mandatory items in their budgets.
“Subong EO (executive order) lang, no specific fund for this program. So dapat every barangay, municipal may specific nga pundo like two percent of their budget dapat ipain naton diri. Kay nagapati kita nga we need also to protect our young people against illegal drugs,” Baronda added.
In the explanatory note of her bill, Baronda emphasized that the entire community, not only the government, should take part in this fight to completely eradicate the drug problem in our country.
Baronda, during the last Congress, filed the same bill but due to time constraint the Senate failed to tackle it on second reading./PN
