MINORS PUSHING SHABU

A 16-YEAR-OLD girl was arrested in an antidrug buy-bust operation of the police in Barangay Ungka II, Pavia, Iloilo recently. Minor pa lang, pwerte na!

Congratulations to the Pavia police station. However, the recovery of 10 sachets of shabu valued at over a hundred thousand pesos from this young individual who was reportedly serving as a “runner” for drug pushers necessitates a deeper examination of the factors that drive minors into such perilous activities.

Firstly, the engagement of minors in illegal drug trafficking, even in roles seemingly as peripheral as couriers or “runners”, speaks to the desperation or, perhaps, the lack of awareness among youth about the gravity of the consequences tied to these actions.

Many of these young individuals might be driven by financial need, coerced by manipulative adults, or seduced by the false glamor of quick earnings. Ahay…

The lure of easy money is particularly potent in communities where poverty, lack of education, and limited access to legitimate employment opportunities prevail. In such environments, minors are especially vulnerable to exploitation by criminal networks that see them as easily manipulable and less likely to be suspected by authorities.

It is imperative to address the root causes that drive minors into these activities, such as poverty, lack of education, and unemployment.

The youth kuno is the hope of the fatherland. Pero ano na lang ang bwasdamlag sang Iloilo, Western Visayas, kag Pilipinas in general kun puro adiktus or pusher ang mga kabataan? Haslo!

Say mo, Major Dadje Delima?