SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union (PIA) — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 1, in partnership with the local government unit of Caba, conducted an anti-drug summit dubbed “BIDA Kabataang Malaya sa Droga 2024” for the youth on July 5.
The youth summit, which took place at the Caba Central Elementary School in Caba in this province, aims to empower the youth and harness their capacities by raising awareness and connecting them to platforms of participation in local youth development.
The activity coincided with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking which is an essential global observance to raise awareness about the major issues that illicit drugs and trafficking pose to society.
About 110 participants composed of Sangguniang Kabataan federation officers from 17 barangays and youth organizations in the municipality attended the said activity.
The youth summit covered a wide array of critical topics, including the drug situation in the Ilocos region and in La Union province, through a presentation from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
In an interview with PDEA-1 Regional Director Joel Plaza, he said the anti-drug campaign in the Ilocos region continues without letup by tapping law enforcement agencies and other government offices to strengthen measures against illegal drugs.
The summit also featured the Revitalized Police sa Barangay, presented by the La Union Police Provincial Office (LUPPO), which shows the need to assign police officers in every barangay within the province to serve as a conduit between the community and the police force to pursue an effective police-community partnership in support to a sustained barangay-based anti-crime strategy.
In addition, continuous monitoring and implementation of anti-illegal drug campaign activities, illicit trafficking, Community Anti-Terrorism Awareness (CATA), Republic Act (RA) No. 8353 or Anti-Rape Law of 1997, RA 7610 also known as “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act”, human rights promotion, and implementation of municipal/local ordinances were also discussed during the summit.
In his message, DILG-1 Regional Director Jonathan Leusen emphasized the event is a strategic approach as the agency believes the best people who could relate and encourage the youth to do away with drugs are those also from the same sector themselves.
“There is still much work to do. So, we urge the youth sector for a call to action. By working together, pooling our resources, and building our strengths, we can accomplish great things,” said Leusen.
Meanwhile, Kristan Arnold Carreon, SK Federation vice president of the municipality, said the government’s drug awareness campaign serves as an eye-opener among the youth which helps them spread awareness in combating illegal drugs.
“As young leaders, we assure the local government and advocate of anti-illegal drugs, to be one of the tools in raising this campaign because we believe that we are the hope of the next generation,” said Carreon. (MJTAB/KJCR, PIA La Union)
