TACLOBAN CITY, April 7 (PNA) - The Leyte provincial
board has been scrutinizing the proposed budget of local government units to
make sure they are setting aside funds to eliminate illegal drugs down to the
village level.
The provincial government has been informing mayors
and town council members about the Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 4, series
of 2016, which emphasizes the importance of an anti-drug program in every
village.
The regulation provides for a monitoring mechanism
for anti-drug abuse campaigns in the villages.
“The anti-narcotics agency of the national
government asked the help of provincial legislators to monitor the compliance
of local government units in allocating budget that would strengthen the
implementation of the anti-illegal drug campaign in the villages,” Leyte Vice
Governor Carlo Loreto said on Friday.
The city and town councils are primarily tasked to
review the proposed budget of villages. After their scrutiny, the local
government presents the proposal to the provincial board for approval. The
deadline for submission to the provincial board is every October of the year.
All villages have been mandated to establish their
anti-drug abuse councils, to help law enforcement agencies in the eradication
of illegal drugs.
Under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002,
local government units are required to allot a substantial portion of their
annual budget to prioritize preventive or educational programs and the
rehabilitation or treatment of drug dependents.
“Our unyielding pursuit for a drug-free Leyte
province remains. We will make it a point that every municipality in the
province will not only allocate budget for drug clearing programs, but will
also successfully plan and implement unrelenting campaigns against illegal
drugs,” Loreto said.
Under a memorandum from the Department of the
Interior and Local Government, failure of local officials to appropriate a
portion of their budget to the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 is a
ground for disapproval of the village's annual budget. (PNA)
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