In a joint meeting held August 26, 2021 via Zoom, the Regional Peace and Order Council Special Action Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (SAC AID) and the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs Advocacy Cluster (ICAD) zeroed in on winning strategies to achieve drug-free communities in the NCR.

The joint meeting was co-presided by PDEA Assistant Regional Director John Irvin Coderis, SAC AID lead, and Atty. Ana Lyn Baltazar-Cortez, CESO V, Assistant Regional Director of DILG-NCR and representative to the ICAD Advocacy Cluster. Officials and representatives from 14 other cooperating agencies were also present in the meeting.

In her opening remarks, ARD Ana Lyn Baltazar-Cortez set the direction of the meeting by emphasizing the role of LGUs as indispensable partners in the anti-illegal drug campaigns, especially in light of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling of the Supreme Court which expanded the revenue base from which Internal Revenue Allotments for LGUs are to be calculated and drawn.

The meeting also covered the accomplishments of NCRPO in its anti-illegal drug operations for the quarter. Pasig City’s anti-illegal drugs campaign and its concomitant rehabilitation program, which featured best practices in the face of an ongoing pandemic were likewise taken up.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) also presented the joint NCRPO- Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-National Capital Region (PDEA-NCR) “Friend or Foe Identification System Project”, a proposal which aims to improve coordination and prevent conflicting law enforcement operations between and among law enforcement operatives during anti-drug operations.

Finally, the mechanics of the proposed best video presentation contest featuring best practices in the conduct of Anti-Illegal Drugs Campaigns have also been finalized. The contest is open to NCR LGUs exclusively.

Moving forward, all cooperating agencies agreed to carry on their initiatives and advocacies in a coordinated manner pursuant to their common goal of eradicating illegal drugs in every barangay, community and household in the NCR.#