OFWs urged to help drive vs. illegal drugs, fight fake news

PRESIDENTIAL Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Marie Rafael is asking Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) to help in the government's anti-illegal drugs campaign and stop the spread of fake news by informing their fellow migrant workers of the "real score."

“With your voice, you are a group to reckon with,” Rafael said at the OFW Global Leaders Convention in a hotel in this city on Thursday.

The event is a twoday activity organized by the Overseas Filipino Workers Advocacy and Reform Movement Inc. (OFW-ARMi), a non-government organization based in Metro Manila, with OFWs all over the world and their families as members.

Rafael discussed with the group the #RealNumbersPH, the consolidated report from various government law enforcement agencies that implement the provisions of the Comprehensive Anti-Illegal Drug Law of 2002.

The PCOO handles the dissemination of information to the public by holding a monthly press briefing to update the Filipinos about the anti-illegal drugs campaign.

Rafael said contrary to other figures circulating, consolidated reports from all the government law enforcement unit show that there are 161,584 arrested drug personalities from day one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term on July 1, 2016 until October 31, 2018, through the conduct of 113, 570 law enforcement operations.

The Duterte administration does not tolerate or condone, even people in government violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Law of 2002,

said.

She revealed during the period, 600 government workers were arrested, of whom 278 were government employees, 257 elected officials, and 65 uniformed personnel.

“As part of the internal cleansing of the law enforcement agencies, 287 have been dismissed for drug use, while 130 were dismissed from service for other drug-related offenses,” Rafael said.

A total of 271 drug dens have been discovered, 13 of them were clandestine drug laboratories.

Rafael also said that with the Duterte administration’s intensive campaign to cleanse the country of the drug menace, a total of 8,935 barangays have been declared “drug cleared,” while 23,161 are due to be cleared.

These are out of the 42,044 barangays all over the country.

Rafael added 1,820 children have been rescued from being inmeasures volved in illegal drugs. Of this number, 487 were found possessing drugs, 976 were pushing or selling illegal drugs, two were cultivators, 91 were visitors of drug dens, six were drug den maintainers, three were drug den staff, and 255 were users of illegal drugs.

She said the government’s program is not just to rid the country of illegal drugs, but also to help those engaged in the vice to reform their lives.

Banaag added based on record, 142,280 have so far graduated from recovery and wellness programs initiated by the Philippine National Police, while 149,828 are now completing communitybased drug rehabilitation programs.

Rafael said it is important that the public knows the real situation of the government's anti-illegal drugs campaign, adding the OFWs can help in disseminating correct information.