Negros Oriental 1st District Rep. Jocelyn S. Limkaichong has acknowledged an increasing problem on drug use and abuse in the country, but expressed hope that the country’s drug problem will be solved soon.
In her keynote speech during the DDB’s 29th anniversary and recognition rites held at Quezon City Sports Club last week, Rep. Limkaichong said there are currently around 1.7 million drug dependents in the country.
“The root cause of the problem,” she said, “has something to do with our values system and lifestyle, thus, our solution should then be about eliminating values, habits and ways of life that breed drug abuse; and strengthening those which could shield our people from possible drug use.”
Limkaichong, in addressing around 320 officials and representatives of different local and national government and non-government organizations, said there is a need for “creative life skills trainings, massive information and education campaigns, counseling centers, formation of positive peer groups, and even of livelihood programs” to both “prevent and cure” the problem, both in the personal and communal level.
The Negros Oriental solon also lauded the Dangerous Drugs Board’s “innovative” programs that gear towards this end, such as the formation of over 250 Barkada Kontra Droga (Peers Against Drugs) all over the country; its Systematic Trainings on Effective Parenting; its training for judges through its partnership with the Philippine Judicial Academy; and its provision of alternative source of livelihood for people affected by its massive crackdown and eradication of vast plantations of marijuana, among others.
“We need to do all these in a cohesive, sustained manner to send a strong message to those who prey on our peoples’ desperation, and low self-esteem, that they have to stop, or our claws of justice will clamp them down,” Rep. Limkaichong said.