PRO-7 urges DepEd: Pursue drug education in all schools

GUINDULMAN, BOHOL, Philippines — If there is the controversial sex education, why not drugs education in all schools?

This was the question raised by Chief Superintendent Jose Mario Espino, director of the Police Regional Office-7, as he pushed the Department of Education to put up a drug education in schools and teach the students on the dire consequences of drug use.

There is already a sex education in schools, but DepEd has yet to institute drug education, said Espino, adding that he has been waiting for the DepEd to come up with a curriculum on this subject to be integrated in the teaching platforms in schools.

Espino—who inaugurated last week four new police buildings in Tagbilaran City and in the towns of Loay, Alburquerque and Guindulman—mentioned this proposal as another approach against illegal drug use.

Espino told the media the police is aggressively pursuing the war against illegal drugs, considered the flagship peace and order program under President Duterte’s administration. “We are winning the drug war,” he said, citing the successful supply reduction campaign. “However, there’s much to be done against drugs.”

He said that even if the supply diminishes, the demand remains high. He cited that in Manila, where he was once assigned, the demand for ‘shabu’ now costs about P1,000 per gram, higher than few hundred pesos over the past months.

“That’s why the drug pushers are risking their lives since they’re accountable to their suppliers,” he said, adding that the police may not be able to control drugs because of the high demand. Joint effort in the community is therefore needed in the anti-drug campaign, and involvement of the schools is one way to it, he said.

On internal cleansing among the police ranks, Espino called on the public to report any erring policemen under his watch. He said he welcome reports and urged the public not to be afraid of doing so, as he assured Boholanos that any scalawag policeman will be dealt with accordingly.

In Bohol, a total of 38,152 drug dependents surrendered to the police following the launching of Oplan TokHang, since July last year to September this year.

Twenty-two suspects died in legitimate police operations, the Bohol Police Provincial Office reported, while 23 others have been deemed “deaths under investigation,” and two more not related at all to drugs. (FREEMAN)