by Gigi Dumallig
TABUK CITY, Kalinga, Sept. 15 (PIA) - - The city government in partnership with the Youth Community Service Club (YCSC) recently conducted a symposium on anti-drug, crime prevention, and environment protection. Tabuk City Councilor Antonio Bakilan, organizer and adviser of the YCSC said the symposium was designed to encourage student leaders help the city government in realizing its programs on youth development especially in the fight against criminality involving the youth.
This, he said, is also in observance of the National Crime Prevention Week this September with the theme ‘Pinoy Ako, Crime Prevention Misyon Ko! Knock Out Crime,’ which focuses on the importance of youth sector in national building. The city government, he said, is keen in introducing programs that would involve the youth in these endeavors to help them prepare to be productive and good leaders in the future. To do this, there is a need to give them the right information through symposiums, seminars, and workshops and involving them in community services to appreciate better their contributions and purpose. Among the speakers during the forum were
Tabuk City chief of police Supt.Jeremias Oyawon who talked on the menace of drug use and shared information on how drug syndicates operate in the country; Atty. Jose Poliwos of the Public Attorney’s Office who gave pointers on the laws covering the crimes on illegal drugs; and Dominic Sugguiyao of the Provincial Environment and Resources Office talked on the government’s environment protection and preservation programs and how the youth sector could contribute to realize the government's goals. City administrator Lawrence Bayongan, who represented city Mayor Ferdinand Tubban, also provided the participants information on how international drug syndicates operate on how illegal drugs enter and how they use drug mules to bring out the drugs out of the country to sell in the international market taking advantage of the Philippine’s geographical and circumstantial advantages for such operations.
The youth should be vigilant about these operations considering that anybody could be a victim of these drug syndicates either willingly or unwillingly, he warned. The event, held at the St. Williams’ gymnasium, was attended by various student leaders from various colleges and high schools in the province and YCSC members.
