BIDA campaign vs. illegal drugs gaining headway in Cordillera, DILG reports

BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The campaign against illegal drugs in the Cordillera region is gaining headway with the demand reduction advocacy program BIDA or “Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan.”

Department of the Interior and Local Government-Cordillera (DILG-CAR) Regional Director Araceli San Jose, in the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas here on July 30, outlined that BIDA is the banner program of government’s campaign against illegal drugs. This aims to heighten multi-stakeholders approach that links government, civil society, and the general public towards greater awareness and advocacy against illegal drugs.

For this year, the DILG-CAR initiated five symposia participated by 3,580 individuals and one outreach program with 140 participants, as well as two BIDA poster making and craftsmanship contest with youth and Persons Deprived with Liberty or PDLs.

Various BIDA activities are also being implemented through the regional offices of DILG’s attached agencies, namely; the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Bureau of Fire Protection.

The DILG-CAR is also supplementing the BIDA program by continuously engaging the local government units in the region to spearhead advocacy programs down to the grassroots level, San Jose reported.

“Hindi lang po DILG ito, kasama po natin ang ating mga partners dito sa laban na ito. (This is not a program of DILG alone, we are with our partners in this fight). Our BIDA program is also supplemented by our continuous engagement with our LGUs,” she said.

In the same forum, the Police Regional Office-CAR headed by PBGen. David Peredo Jr., affirmed the relentless efforts in terms of illegal drugs supply reduction in the region.

The PRO-CAR reported that from January 1 to July 30 this year, the regional police office, in partnership with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority-CAR, conducted 1,394 anti-illegal drug operations that led to the confiscation of around P6.45 billion worth of illegal drugs and the arrest of 785 individuals.

On the barangay drug clearing program, the PRO-CAR shared that of the 1,178 barangays in the region, only 18 remain as drug-affected barangays.

The PRO-CAR is also continuously conducting marijuana eradication with its biggest and multiple day operations, the Oplan HERODOTUS 3 and Oplan Highlander, that resulted to the destruction of P858.9 million worth of Marijuana plants.

In support to the BIDA program, the provincial and city police offices of PRO-CAR are also actively engaged in the dissemination of information materials, postings of tarpaulin and stickers and recruiting BIDA advocates in the different parts of the region. (CCD/PIA CAR)

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