As the City Government of Valenzuela keeps commitment to eradication of illegal drugs, Valenzuela Anti-Drug Abuse Office (VADAO) held a lecture on drug awareness and prevention, which was participated by about 500 freshmen from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela (PLV), October 7.

The symposium themed “Gateway and Illegal Drugs, Let’s Put Them All Away,” has the purpose to instill in the minds of the young generation of the harmful effects of the illegal drugs. In addition, Valenzuela City also wants the students to be prepared against the influence of the abusers of illegal drug, as well as, to be keen observers and become proactive whenever they see someone who uses or sells drugs in their community that they should report it to the authority.

The big problem against the rampant effects of illegal drugs never changed despite of several efforts to contain the problem. It can be recalled that thousands had surrendered, rehabilitated and imprisoned, but it did not completely solved the drug problem in the country.

Valenzuela City wasn’t spared from the drug problems, so the local government thought of a good solution that will get rid of the root cause of the problem. This gave birth to the establishment of Balai Banyuhay, a drug treatment and rehabilitation center where the people found to be of dependence in illegal drugs will be temporarily housed and treated. This nurture the commitment of the city in providing a safe haven for the Valenzuelanos whose lives were extremely affected by prohibited substance. Inside the premises, the clients will receive adequate support from the local government and will undergo psychological and spiritual assessments until they recover completely and be reintegrated into the community.

In line with this, the City Government of Valenzuela, through the leadership of Mayor WES Gatchalian, carry on with its mission to completely solve the long-standing problem of illegal drug cases in the city and to provide a safer and drug-free community for every Valenzuelano. With this, VADAO and Valenzuela City Police are conducting several anti-drug operations to stop illicit drug activities.

The month of October marks the annual celebration of the National Substance Abuse Prevention Month. This was launched in 2011 with an objective of highlighting the crucial role of the substance abuse to both individual and community. This is also to acknowledge all the substance abusers for their fight in recovering from addiction through the support of their relatives, as well as remembering the people who have lost their lives due to substance use.

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