Guv tells mayors, village chiefs anew: ‘Let’s remove drugs in Pampanga’

CITY

OF SAN FERNANDO – With only two and a half years before she steps down in office, Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda asked anew city and town mayors and village chairmen to eradicate

the drug menace in the province.

Governor Pineda made the appeal to 22 local chief executives and 538 village chairmen in the province during the Pampanga Action Planning on Anti-Illegal Drug Programs for Barangays held Thursday.

In front of officials from the national and regional governments led by Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, the lady governor asked the local executives to fulfill their commitment in stamping out the proliferation of illegal drugs in their communit i es.

“Kapitan, kagawad, mayors, magtatrabaho ba tayo? Naririnig ng mga bisita natin dito. Hindi kaya ng kapulisan lang, hindi ko kaya ng ako lang, hindi kaya ng mayors lang. Sama-sama tayo,” she said.

She added that village officials must double their efforts since they act as frontliners in the campaign against illegal drugs in the grassroots level.

Governor Pineda also instructed local officials to identify the drug surrenderees in their area and engaged them in the reformation program of the government.

She stressed that the provincial government is now facilitating a 205- bed rehabilitation facility in Magalang town where they can admit the drug dependents for free.

This is aside from the Mega Drug Abuse Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Nueva Ecija facilitated by Department of Health which can accommodate some 10,000 patients, Govenor Pineda sai d.

“Nakikiusap ako sa inyo. Dalawa’t-kalahating taon niyo na lang akong governor, hindi naman ito para sa akin lang. Para ito sa lahat ng tao, ng Filipino, ng buong Kapampangan,” she appealed.

“Kung susundin natin lahat ng parameters, siguro doon pa lang natin masasabi na drug-free ang Pampanga. Pero kung hindi tayo magta-trabaho, kung hindi tayo kikilos, kawawa ang Pampanga,” she added.