Sonny dares other mayors to make cities drug-free

CEBU, Philippines - Toledo City Mayor John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña has challenged the mayors of neighboring municipalities to take care the illegal drug problem in their locality after he declared the city drug-free.

Reacting to the editorial of The FREEMAN yesterday, Osmeña said that he is not denying that drug personalities in Toledo have fled but they could just be around ‘the next corner in another locality.’

“My jurisdiction is Toledo City and it is incumbent upon the other mayors to take care of themselves,” Osmeña said.

Osmeña said the illegal drug problem in other towns is even the responsibility of the governor and the chief of the Cebu Provincial Police Office.

The editorial stated that Osmeña’s declaration has raised a lot of eyebrows after he claimed to have accomplished the feat in 30 days.

It also stated that the drug problem in Toledo City is not solved by simply arresting or driving away the drug personalities and that it means that there is more work to be done, both by Sonny and the police.

Osmeña clarified that his claim was limited only to Toledo City.

“The editorial is very correct,” he said.

Osmeña yesterday said that the Toledo City government is now embarking on a program to address the problem of street children as a way of curbing illegal drug users.

He said that the program is designed by the city’s police chief, Chief Insp. Michael Anthony Bastes and is patterned after the Cebu City Task Force on Street Children.

Osmeña said that the street children are kept in a house during nighttime, provided with breakfast, clothes, shoes and are sent to schools. This is in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

He said that they have to solicit for donations such as shoes because the Commission on Audit prevents the city from spending the money for the said purpose.  (FREEMAN)