REPORT & PHOTO BY REMAI ALEJADO, ZAMBOSUR PPB
One hundred eleven years since the Philippines was emancipated from Spanish rule but Filipinos are still squirming from foreign intervention as well as from the quagmire of its own social problems.
This was the gist of the message of 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division Commander MGen. Romeo Lustestica during this city’s celebration of Independence Day as he stressed the three social menaces that continue to haunt the society today.
These social menaces, according to Lustestica, are poverty, illegal drugs, and protection from destructive elements.
The army general said their greatest worry among the mentioned problems is the proliferation of illegal drugs, which is a big obstacle in attaining freedom, prosperity and peace.
With Lustestica during the early morning program held at the City Hall grounds are Mayor Samuel Co, Gov. Aurora Cerilles and William Medici, Vis-Min department manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
He admitted that in fact, illegal drugs have been classified as a major concern of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), which is presently chaired by Cerilles.
“While there are government agencies charged of addressing this problem, like the PDEA, PNP and the AFP, we should not lose sight of the fact that in our communities, families play impressive roles in telling youths to keep away from drugs,” Lustestica said.
In February, in a report titled 2009 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), the US State Department said the drug problem in the Philippines remains significant, despite the continued efforts of law enforcement authorities to disrupt major drug trafficking organizations and dismantle clandestine drug laboratories and warehouses.
“The Philippines faces challenges in the areas of drug use and production, law enforcement, corruption, and drug trafficking,” the INCSR report said.
But for Lustestica, the solution is easy and personal. “The first line of defense of our children against the drug menace is the intimate family unit because broken families and unhappy homes produce children who will soon become drug users,” he added, as he reminded parents not to be remiss on their roles on disciplining their young ones.
As to schools, the army commander said that they too have moral obligations to create an environment that is unfriendly to illegal drugs and those illicit pushers. “Let everyone in the community to do his share by disallowing the illegal drugs to persist in their grounds,” Lustestica said.
On the other hand, Cerilles highlighted her message for the occasion on poverty alleviation, revealing the national government’s focus on jobs generation with its Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP).
CLEEP is a program aimed in helping the poor, returning expatriates, workers in the export industry and out-of-school youths earn income by providing emergency employment and funding and supervising livelihood projects.
The Department of Labor and Employment is the lead agency in the fulfillment of CLEEP as the national government has set aside P10 billion for this year, targeting the creation of more than 220,000 jobs.
“CLEEP will surely help the poor and underprivileged workers who are affected in the present global financial meltdown,” Cerilles said.
One hundred eleven years since the Philippines was emancipated from Spanish rule but Filipinos are still squirming from foreign intervention as well as from the quagmire of its own social problems.This was the gist of the message of 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division Commander MGen. Romeo Lustestica during this city’s celebration of Independence Day as he stressed the three social menaces that continue to haunt the society today.
These social menaces, according to Lustestica, are poverty, illegal drugs, and protection from destructive elements.
The army general said their greatest worry among the mentioned problems is the proliferation of illegal drugs, which is a big obstacle in attaining freedom, prosperity and peace.
With Lustestica during the early morning program held at the City Hall grounds are Mayor Samuel Co, Gov. Aurora Cerilles and William Medici, Vis-Min department manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
He admitted that in fact, illegal drugs have been classified as a major concern of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), which is presently chaired by Cerilles.
“While there are government agencies charged of addressing this problem, like the PDEA, PNP and the AFP, we should not lose sight of the fact that in our communities, families play impressive roles in telling youths to keep away from drugs,” Lustestica said.
In February, in a report titled 2009 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), the US State Department said the drug problem in the Philippines remains significant, despite the continued efforts of law enforcement authorities to disrupt major drug trafficking organizations and dismantle clandestine drug laboratories and warehouses.
“The Philippines faces challenges in the areas of drug use and production, law enforcement, corruption, and drug trafficking,” the INCSR report said.
But for Lustestica, the solution is easy and personal. “The first line of defense of our children against the drug menace is the intimate family unit because broken families and unhappy homes produce children who will soon become drug users,” he added, as he reminded parents not to be remiss on their roles on disciplining their young ones.
As to schools, the army commander said that they too have moral obligations to create an environment that is unfriendly to illegal drugs and those illicit pushers. “Let everyone in the community to do his share by disallowing the illegal drugs to persist in their grounds,” Lustestica said.
On the other hand, Cerilles highlighted her message for the occasion on poverty alleviation, revealing the national government’s focus on jobs generation with its Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP).
CLEEP is a program aimed in helping the poor, returning expatriates, workers in the export industry and out-of-school youths earn income by providing emergency employment and funding and supervising livelihood projects.
The Department of Labor and Employment is the lead agency in the fulfillment of CLEEP as the national government has set aside P10 billion for this year, targeting the creation of more than 220,000 jobs.
“CLEEP will surely help the poor and underprivileged workers who are affected in the present global financial meltdown,” Cerilles said.