Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista is seriously considering putting into good use QC-based properties confiscated by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) during its anti-drug operations.
During a meeting with members of the peace and order council at Camp Karingal , the Mayor said the city government is studying the possibility of utilizing these confiscated properties as livelihood training facilities for victims of trafficking.
The Mayor, at the meeting, asked PDEA regional director Erwin Ogario to carefully study the city’s proposal while taking into consideration the provisions of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
While Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2003, prohibits the disposition, alienation and transfer of the confiscated properties, the Mayor noted that these properties could be used for legitimate purposes during the pendency in court of the cases involving the said properties.
Among the most notable PDEA seizures identified by Mayor Bautista are properties located at Barangay Salvacion and Calavite Street , in La Loma, which were reportedly used as drug dens.
Meanwhile, the Quezon City Anti-Drug Abuse Advisory Council (QCADAAC) authorized Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte to enter into an agreement with the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) for the drug testing services of QC Hall and barangay personnel as the city moves towards implementing a drug-free workplace program.
Vice Mayor Belmonte, who sits as QCADAAC chairperson, signed a memorandum of agreement with officials of National Reference Laboratory for Environmental and Occupational Health, Toxicology and Micro-Nutrient Assay of EAMC during a QCADAAC meeting last week at QC Hall.
EAMC was represented during the occasion by Dr. Roland Cortez, Medical Center Chief II; Dr. Alfonso Nunez, head of the ER-Trauma Department; Dr. Socorro Yanez, head of the National Reference Laboratory and Leonard Cadiente, a chemist from the National Reference Laboratory.
Aside from the agreement with EAMC, the QCADAAC, during its council meeting, also passed a resolution authorizing Vice Mayor Belmonte to enter into a memorandum of agreement with colleges and universities operating within the city for the conduct of drug preventive education seminars for students taking the National Service Training Program (NSTP).
The partnership has been described by the QCADAAC as vital in the city government’s continuing effort to enhance the consciousness and anti-drug awareness of the city’s youth.
Posted By: Edrillan Pasion
