TACLOBAN CITY- The Department of Interior and Local Government(DILG) and the Philippine National Police(PNP) in the region are to campaign for the elimination of illegal drugs and criminal activities.
The ambitious campaign, dubbed as Mamamayang Ayaw Sa Anomalya – Mamamayang Ayaw Sa Illegal na Droga (Masa-Masid), aim to end proliferation of illegal drugs and existence of criminal acts by December this year.
Marivel Sacendoncillo, officer-in-charge of the DILG-8, said that she and Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar, police regional director, will still discuss exactly how they will implement the campaign for them to hit their target.
Masa-Masid is a community mobilization program that will assist government agencies in the campaign against illegal drugs, criminality and corruption.
“Community members will help in gathering information of the security agency but the most important way how they can help is in assisting those who are into illegal drugs to recover,” Sacendoncillo said.
Sacendoncillo added that success of government program like the campaign against illegal drugs need participation and help from the community especially the family.
“Whether you like it or not, the community, primarily the family, is the most affected. That is why we need to strengthen our family to ensure that no member will be involved in the illegal drug use and if there is, they should be the first one to initiate the action to help their family members who are addicted to illegal drugs,” Sacendoncillo added.
In the region, all of its 4,390 villages will be involved in the campaign.
And out of this number, 839 are drug-affected representing 19 percent of all the villages in the region based on the report that Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Of the affected villages, 361 are in Leyte; 219 in Southern Leyte; 75 in Samar; 74 in Eastern Samar; 59 in Northern Samar and 51 in Biliran. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
