DANGEROUS Drugs Board chairman Dionisio Santiago on Monday blamed town, city and barangay officials for their failure to address the problem of illegal drugs.
At a news conference at the DDB headquarters in Quezon City, Santiago also blamed the public for their continued support to vote local officials who have even failed to adopt action plans to rehabilitate drug dependents and stop the drug menace within their jurisdictions.
“Authorities continue to apprehend young boys called ‘batang hamog’ [who are into drugs], but the local government would just release them after bathing them,” he said.
“They [officials] have done nothing, and yet they’re winning in the election,” he added.
According to DDB, local officials play an important role in the fight against drugs at the grassroots level.
“Why vote for them? That is your fault,” Santiago said.
He also lamented that despite his dedication to serve the people and the government, and to fight the illegal drugs, he still lost in the senatorial race in May 2016.
“You did not vote for me,” he said.
According to Santiago, the agency has developed an integrated and balanced approach to outline the government’s efforts to curb the drug problem anchored on the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, a roadmap for a national collaboration to realign drug initiatives “with the overreaching social development agenda and national security policy.”
The measure utilizes a holistic approach that builds on the pillars of action on drug supply reduction, drug demand reduction, alternative development, civic awareness and response, and international cooperation.