Villar: Gov’t winning war vs illegal drugs
LESSER DRUG USERS CITED
WHILE the government is winning the war against illegal drugs, there is still a need to maintain vigilance and sustain police operations in order to protect the gains made by the nation so far.
This is was the assessment of Sec. Antonio Villar Jr., chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), of the current campaign when he spoke to local media after launching the national observance of the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week in Dagupan City last week.
He cited statistics showing the unprecedented results of the demand and supply reduction efforts made by lawmen in tandem with local government officials and other sectors.
He said there were 9.3 million drug users in the county in 2002, which was reduced to 6.7 million in 2004. The number was further reduced to 1.7 million in 2008 and down to just 1.3 million in 2012, the last year that statistics on the number of drug users was taken.
He hailed the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) of the police for having accounted most of the arrests of drug personalities and the seizure of substantial volume of illegal drugs, in tandem with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the National Bureau of Investigation.
During the launch, Villar rallied the people of Dagupan City and Pangasinan to support the advocacy “No to Legalization of Marijuana (Cannabis),” to counter the move in Congress to legalize it for medical use.
He unveiled a new DDB poster that reads ” No to Legalization of Marijuana” which drew instant support from the Dagupan City government.
Sec. Villar is conferred the degree of Doctor of Public Administration honoris cuasa by Lyceum Northwestern University during its 43rd Mid-Year Commencement Exercises. The ceremony was presided by Dr. Gonzalo T. Duque, LNU president, assisted by Dr. Catalino P. Rivera, VP, Policy, Planning & Development, and Academic Affairs, Dr. Romana O. Fabrigas, Director, Institute of Graduate & Professional Studies.
He cited experiences of countries that legalized marijuana and suffered many social setbacks including an increase in college dropouts as a result of the legalization.
Villar maintained that the negative effects of marijuana on the youth will far outweigh its reported medical uses.
Citing the discovered shabu laboratory in Camiling, Villar reiterated his warning to local government units to drug syndicates will always attempt to establish clandestine drug laboratories in their areas.
In Dagupan, Villar confirmed that Bonuan Binloc has not yet erased its notorious tag as top drug hub in Dagupan City although the trading of shabu has been minimized now due to the tighter monitoring being conducted by lawmen in that village.
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