Guimaras steps up school-based anti illegal drugs campaign

The island-province of Guimaras through the Guimaras Police Provincial Office (GPPO) is stepping up the campaign against illegal drugs by mainstreaming the school-based Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program.

Jaypee Kein Entredicho, Guimaras public information officer, said GPPO announced in the recent Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting that the program will be implemented in the province’s five towns of Jordan, Buenavista, San Lorenzo, Sibunag, and Nueva Valencia.

He said that DARE is a brainchild project of Police Officer 2 Mary Catherine Demontaño, formerly the Community Relations Officer of Buenavista Police Station.

The lady cop, who is one of the 2015 Country’s Outstanding Police officers in Service (COPS) awardees, is set to lead the program implementation in the whole province. She was recently promoted as GPPO community relations officer.

First implemented in Buenavista, DARE educates elementary pupils on the ill-effects of illegal drugs. Especially trained law enforcers handle the information campaign that aims to encourage the kids to not use illegal drugs.

To date, the program has been implemented in the following schools: Navalas Elementary School, Buenavista Central School and Supang Elementary School, and in the 16 barangays of Umilig, Tanag, San Isidro, Daragan, Dagsaan, Navalas, Banban, Bacjao, Supang, San Roque, Cansilayan, Avila, Nazaret, Alaguisoc, San Nicolas, and ZaldivarUsing a community-based approach, the Pulisya at Barangay Aktibong Lumalaban sa Karahasan Hangad ay Kaayusan ng Sambayanan (Pabalhas) was created. Aside from schools, the program also solicits the involvement of the community.

Pabalhas targets to further improve the relationship of the students and the schools with the police.

“The program plays an important role in our quest to combat illegal drugs by way of feedback mechanism as to drug users, pushers and trafficker, from the people within the barangay. We have limited resources to fully implement the DARE program province wide since we only have one DARE Officer,” she said.

To increase the number of DARE officers, she said GPPO plans to conduct DARE Officers Training.

Demontaño has expressed optimism that the program will be implemented in Western Visayas region. [via PNA]

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