PCL-Gapo signs BIDA covenant

The Philippine Councilors League-Olongapo City chapter signed a Covenant with the Department of the Interior and Local Government to express their support and commitment to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s vision of a drug-free society.

DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos welcomed the support of the PCL and underscored the vital role of all sectors of society — national government agencies, local government units, religious organizations, civil society, academe, and the private sector — in the whole-of-nation approach to ending the drug menace.

"While our police, NBI, and PDEA are catching drug traffickers, we are addressing the root cause of the problem. We are all working together," Abalos said during the PCL Week celebration in Olongapo City.

"That is what BIDA is all about. It is not only about supply reduction but also about demand reduction," "This fight is for our children, and we are going to approach it the right way," he added.

Among those who signed the BIDA Covenant were Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr., PCL Olongapo Chapter President and National Secretary General Gina Gulanes Perez, Olongapo City officials and barangay captains, and PCL members from Region 3.

During the event, Abalos also urged LGUs and the councilors to wage a war not only on drugs but also on poor nutrition and stunting, as statistics show that one out of three Filipino children suffers from stunted growth.

He shared his "best practices" from his term as mayor of Mandaluyong City, when he launched programs targeting the nutrition of pregnant mothers and interventions in the first 1,000 days of a child's life for optimal development. His initiatives earned the city the highest award conferred to an LGU, the Nutrition Honor Award.