MANILA, Philippines – A team of instructors from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will arrive in Manila next month to train members of the Manila Police District (MPD) on anti-drug program, Mayor Joseph Estrada announced yesterday.
Aware of the extent of the country’s drug problem, Estrada said the city government would expand the coverage of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) to save millions of youth from the drug menace.
DARE is a school-based drug prevention program, which taps police officers to educate Grades 5 and 6 students on the effects of drug abuse.
“We will go full blast so we need more DARE instructors who will be sent to schools to inform the students of the ill-effects of illegal drugs,” he said.
“This is my way of helping President Duterte in his war on drugs by teaching the youth how to say ‘no’ to drugs,” he added.
Estrada, as chairman of DARE Philippines Association Inc., made representations with the Los Angeles-based DARE International to send a team of instructors to Manila to train selected MPD policemen.
Estrada introduced DARE in tin 1993 when he was vice president and head of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission.
Antonio Abacan Jr., president of DARE Philippines, said 37 MPD members would undergo basic 80-hour DARE Officer Training (DOT) course.
“After they have been certified DARE instructors, they will train their fellow policemen,” Abacan said.
The MPD only has 14 DARE instructors since Estrada started implementing the program in Manila when he assumed office in 2013.
Through Estrada’s initiative, the first batch of military men composed of 29 soldiers from the Philippine Army Civil Military Operations Group graduated from the DOT course after undergoing a 10-day training as DARE instructors last week.
DARE is part of Estrada’s multi-pronged approach to eliminate drugs in Manila.