Rama: Brgy worker’s drugs use ‘not alarming’

CEBU, Philippines - Contrary to the recent pronouncement of an anti-drug official, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday said illegal drugs use among barangay workers is “not alarming.”

This, as he said he is organizing a meeting with the five pillars of the justice system and the church to address the perennial issue on drugs.

“The situation will now fall for a convergence of the church, police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, community, National Bureau of Investigation, among others. It (problem) has to be addressed collectively and comprehensively because it cannot be addressed piecemeal,” Rama said.

The five pillars are the community, law enforcement, prosecution, courts, correctional system.

 Rama said these pillars have to be “creative and imaginative” to end drug issues in the community through a grassroots approach.

“Police, PDEA, NBI, go down to the sitio level,” he said, adding that they must especially pay attention to illegal drugs being brought in via the sea and widen their surveillance capabilities.

 â€œWith the technology available, naa na pud paradigm shift (in the manufacture of illegal drugs). Sa una dagko kaayo ang (Before, they use huge) laboratories for drugs.  Karon, bisan naa nalang sa kwarto (But now, they use just a room,)  garage, auto or container. So, we must also be sophisticated, imaginative and creative in our operations,” Rama said.

For him, illegal drugs use among barangay workers cannot be considered alarming yet, which he said is the truth.

“It is not alarming. It is just bringing what is the truth. Naa man gyod trabaho nga kinahanglan way tulog so prone kaayo na sila (There are those whose work requires them to stay awake, so they are at greater risk of using illegal drugs). They will go into means that will bring them fully awake,” Rama told reporters yesterday.

Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention records shows that there are already 89 barangay employees who tested positive for illegal drug use, following series of random drug testing in some of the city’s 80 barangays starting January this year.

Despite this, however, Rama is not amenable to establishing drug rehabilitation centers, as recommended by the Cebu City Anti-Drug Abuse Council. 

“Rehabilitation center is not the answer. No matter how many rehab centers you will have, if the means are still there, nothing will happen. It might not lessen or mitigate the number of drug users in the city,” he said.

Likewise, Rama said he was not agreeable to setting guidelines in the hiring of barangay workers, particularly barangay tanods, because the city is “encouraging empowerment and professionalism.”  (FREEMAN)