COSAP WORKING ON REACTIVATING BADACS IN CEBU CITY'S 80 BARANGAYS

The Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Badac) will soon be reactivated in Cebu City’s 80 barangays. The Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap) has started a series of reorientation programs for this purpose. Dr. Alice Utlang, Cosap head, said the City Government has been working on this since the last quarter of 2016. Badac serves as the first line of defense against the spread of drugs in the community. Barangays are required to meet monthly with the DILG, PDEA and Cosap as part of their preparations to reactivate the Badac. Utlang lamented that not one barangay has declared itself drug-free since 2015.

The Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap) has started an orientation series to reactivate the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) in the 80 villages.

Cosap head Dr. Alice Utlang said the City Government had been working on the reactivation of the BADAC since the last quarter of 2016.

Utlang lamented that none of the 80 barangays has been declared as a drug-free workplace since 2015.

“We have to strongly enforce the reactivation of the council because if it’s active and functional, it will help lessen the drug problem in the barangays,” she told SunStar Cebu.

The council serves as the first line of defense against the proliferation of drugs in the community.

Its task, among others, to prepare and maintain a confidential list of suspected drug users, pushers, financiers or protectors of the illegal drug trade.

The list will then be submitted to the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council and to the police’s anti-narcotics unit.

Together with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) 7 and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7, Cosap identified 11 barangays that might be declared as a drug-free workplace.

These are Barangays San Antonio, Sta. Cruz, Sto. Niño, Malubog, Kalubihan, Sawang Calero, Sudlon I, Taptap, Pamutan, Quiot and Basak San Nicolas.

The 11 barangays, Utlang said, were required to conduct regular monthly meetings with the DILG, PDEA and Cosap, which forms part of the preparation for the reactivation of their BADAC.

But of the 11 barangays, Utlang said only Quiot, Sta. Cruz and Malubog have so far complied with the monthly meetings.

Yesterday morning, Quiot Barangay Captain Pancrasio Esparis met with representatives of the DILG, PDEA and Cosap for their second reorientation session for this month.

Utlang made clear, though, that villages that are yet to be declared as drug-free workplaces can ask them to hold reorientation seminars in their areas.

She said Barangay Captain Armando Ermac in the mountain barangay Lusaran, for one, headed a reorientation meeting in his barangay for the reactivation of their anti-drug body.

Last month, Barangays Pardo and Kamputhaw met with Cosap and held their first reorientation session.

Today, Barangays Pamutan and San Roque are scheduled to have their reorientation.

Utlang said Cosap plans to expand their BADAC reorientation in all other villages in the city.

She asked the barangay officials to set aside political colors so the reortientation will be implemented. /