DILG-ARMM strengthens drive against illegal drugs, terrorism

COTABATO CITY – The Department of the Interior and Local Government in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DILG-ARMM) has strengthened its Antidrug Abuse Councils to help solve the drug problems.

As of December 2017, the regional offices of the Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and other law enforcement agencies have listed around 56,000 individuals in the ARMM who are coping with the drug problem.

Atty. Noor Hafizullah Abdullah, DILG-ARMM Secretary, said there was a proposal to create a Regional Anti-drug Abuse Council to oversee the anti-drug councils in the provincial, municipal, city, and barangay levels.

He said LGUS are also actively supporting the fight against terrorism and violent extremism. The DILG-ARMM has issued an order to all LGUS to conduct anti-terrorism summits and to help monitor the activities of suspicious individuals in their respective areas, he said.

Sec. Abdullah expressed optimism thr LGUS will continue to manifest good performance in terms of administrative management and good governance this year. “We want to make a statement that our LGUS in the ARMM are competent,” he said.

In a briefing Thursday, Sec. Abdullah discussed the Three-year Governance Road Map of DILG-ARMM and after 2 years, the regional department will focus on the implementation of the plans, one of which is disaster plans of LGUS. Trainings for disaster officers, purchase of equipment for disaster preparedness, and other indicators of implementation shall be checked as part of the assessment, he said.

Sec. Abdullah also urged constituents to be brave enough and not to hesitate in reporting wrongdoings of their local officials, provided that these concerns are factual and true so these would be treated as official reports.