Sotto says tandem with Ping to revitalize drug resistance education program for youth
Vice presidential candidate and Senate President Vicente Sotto III has vowed to work for the institutionalization of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program for older Filipino children in the primary school curriculum as one way toc combat illegal drugs, should he win in the May 2022 elections this year.
Sotto said both he and Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, running mate and standard bearer of the Partido Reporma, believes that prevention is always better than cure.
Such measures, he said, would be part of their demand-reduction strategy to deter and protect grade school pupils against the ill effects of substance abuse.
“As far as the educational freedom of the institutions are concerned, I’m all for it. Meron lang akong gustong idagdag sa educational system natin. Dapat ‘yung Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7 merong (I just want to add to our current educational system. Grades 5, 6 and 7 should also have the) DARE Program,” Sotto said during the vice-presidential debates aired Saturday on CNN Philippines.
“‘Pag tungtong nila ng 13 years old, alam na nila masama ‘yung droga, masisira ang buhay ko diyan, masisira ang pamilya ko, masisira ang kinabukasan ko. Ganoon dapat ‘yan e (Once they reach 13 years old, they should know that drugs is bad, that it will destroy ones life, my family and my future. That’s how it should be),” he noted further.
If elected as vice president, Sotto said he wants to take charge of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as a member of the Cabinet, so he can implement the provisions stated under existing laws against illegal drugs.
“The present situation calls for the attention of the government to the problem of drug abuse, not just illegal drugs. Those are two different animals,” he pointed out.
“But if you concentrate on prevention and rehabilitation, which is partly the demand-reduction strategy that is necessary to combat it, I feel we will be able to complete and implement well the laws that we have passed before,” the Senate leader stressed.