Pope Francis –“No to any kind of drug use.” 

By Bebot Villar

 

THE last statement of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines qualifying its support for “the availability of even narcotic substances in the face of excruciating pain and terminally ill patients and others in similar condition are burdened with,” is commendable.

Kaya lang, I don’t know how CBCP’s position can reconcile sa categorical statement naman ni Pope Francis himself.  Ito ang sinabi niya:  during the 31^st International Drug Enforcement Conference in Rome, “Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise.”  In another event, the Holy Father was also quoted saying, “No to every type of drug use.  It is as simple as that. No to any kind of drug use.”

I will just leave that thought kay kagalang-galang na Arcbishop Socrates Villegas. Ang sa akin lang ay klarong pinaliwanag na ‘CBCP is not endorsing the legalization of marijuana.”

Meanwhile, I need to clarify that what the Dangerous Drugs Board does is simply to regulate as medicines only finished products approved by the Bureau of Food and Drug Administration [BFAD) and the Department of Health (DOH), not the leaves or any other parts of the plant.

Let me use cocaine as an example.  Cocaine is used as anesthesia by extracting the element that we develop into a medicine. It’s not its leaves that is used as anesthesia. The same for opium, kung finished product na. So, the claim about need to legalize marijuana leaves as medicine has no basis.

We commend Pope Francis for his declaration that legalization of all forms of drugs should be rejected.

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Congratulations to the Dagupan Police Station for receiving multiple awards during the obervance of the 19^th Police Community (PCR) Month at the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office in Lingayen.

Hindi talaga magpapahuli ang Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Awardee natin na si PSupt Christopher Abrahano, Dagupan chief of police as Best PCR Police Commissioned Officer of the Year. Best PCR Police Non-Commissioned of the Year naman si PO2 Lotis Dacoco ng Dagupan City Police Station (DCPS), at Best PCR Unit City Police Station ay ang DCPS!

Good job Supt. Abrahano! Sana pamarisan kayo ng ating mga kapulisan sa pagtatrabaho. More power!

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I was invited to be the guest speaker for the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (IDADAIT) program ng Department of Health (DOH) Region 1 in  Dagupan City last June 26.  But because the DDB was also celebrating the same with other national agencies, I asked DDB Deputy Exec. Director Asec. Amador S. Pabustan to represent  me.

When my office called the DOH Region 1 to ask for a copy of program of activities, ang sabi nila they would send it via email. (We never received it until a day after the IDADAIT activity!). So takbo si Asec. Pabustan sa center believing that the program would be held there only to find out walang tao doon! Buti na lang a friend called our office wondering bakit wala pa si Asec. sa Dagupan Astrodome where the program was being held daw!! So takbo ulit doon. Buti na lang hindi ako ang pumunta if not ako ang nahilo sa kakahanap.

Bakit ganyan ang DOH Region 1?

When I did an ocular inspection sa rehab center last year, nobody even knew where and how DDB funds were used for the construction. It seems hindi updated ba ang DOH sa mga ginagawa ng staff nila sa regions. It is this incompetence of people in government why mababa ang respeto sa public servants ng mga sibilyan.

Minsan, I can’t help but wonder if the help of DDB is appreciated at all, or parang wala lang?

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