MANGALDAN-Fourth District Rep. Christopher “Toff” de Venecia called on the academe to prioritize drug prevention citing a position of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime that “the simple and most cost-effective way to lower the human and societal costs of drug abuse is to prevent it in the first place.”

Speaking during a program marking World Teachers’Day on Friday at the Mangaldan National High School (MNHS), De Venecia rallied teachers and students to unite in order to correct the wrong perception that drug addicts are criminals.

“It is true that they (drug addicts) commit wrongful acts if their addiction has become severe but we should not call them menace to the society because they are also victims and they need our help and not our judgment.”

Saying addiction is a mental health problem and addicts have addictive personalities, De Venecia admitted there are so many kinds of addicts in our midst.

“May mga adik sa pag-ibig. Adik sa anime. Adik sa JaDine. Adik sa chismis. Adik sa mga bisyo. At may adik sa droga,” De Venecia said,

The addicts can be rescued from their present state, he said, through proper rehabilitation, and proper education by nipping it in the bud.

De Venecia’s parents, former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and former Congresswoman Gina de Venecia were instrumental in putting up the Dagupan City Drug Treatment and Rehab Center located in Bonuan Binloc, Dagupan City.

“Bagets pa lang, turuan ng tamang values formation”, he said,

At the same time, De Venecia said he talked to Education Secretary Leonor Briones and suggested on possible ways to enhance sports, culture and arts in schools.

At the same time, he said he also talked with various government agencies , including the Cultural Center of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the  Philippine Sports Commission and discussed with the the possibility of training of teachers for them  to help diversify  sports and arts programs in school.

He said culture is important as it gives us personal identity as Filipinos.  It fortifies our love of country, it is also a tool for nation-building. Arts are equally important because it brings meaning and purpose to ourlives. And it teaches us to be creative. Creativity and critical thinking which we can used in all kinds of work.

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