Considering this as an early win against the war on drugs, the Department of Health (DOH) spearheaded Wednesday the first-ever Central Luzon Dangerous Drug Abuse Summit.
In her opening message, DOH Assistant Secretary and Central Luzon Regional Director Leonita Gorgolon said by showing the public that things are being done to address the problem on drugs, this activity is one of the initiatives that we can consider as some of our early wins against drugs.
“We will use this venue, this gathering of partners and stakeholders to highlight the initiatives done within the region and even from other regions with the intention of learning from each other and sharing best practices so that as we go back to our respective areas, we are armed with relevant information and ideas we can adopt or enhance for the implementation of plans and programs on drugs abuse, especially in the community setting,” Gorgolon pointed out.
Admittedly, Gorgolon mentioned that the relentless campaign of the government against the use of illegal drugs is a daunting task; however, she said that the support of other agencies and organizations working together for the common vision drives the advocacy.
“No matter how immense the work at hand, we, together with you as our supportive allies, have pursued this one and even included this in our Philippine Health Agenda. The department has also worked with other agencies to implement strategies as mandated to us to ensure that the problem of drug use and abuse in our country is being addressed,” she added.
In addition, she also mentioned that said activity reels from the success and inauguration of the phase one of the Mega Drug Abuse Treatment Rehabilitation Center in Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City last November.
The summit was participated in by various line agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, health workers and members of the media.