An official of the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) on Monday pinpointed the lack of cooperation from some barangays in the government’s drug-free sticker posting as a present hurdle to the project’s implementation.
According to SPO4 Quinciano Lopena of the BPPO’s Police Community Relations (PCR) Branch, some barangay officials in the province have not been extending support for the program supposedly by submitting necessary data on homes which have earned the “drug-free” stickers.
“Atong nakita nga dunay ubang mga barangay official nga murag dili kaayo cooperative, mura ba’g gibaliwa lang nila ang ilang trabaho mao ni ang hinungdan nga ang atong record sa number of household, usahay di magkasibo, usahay mosaka,” Lopena said.
Some barangay officials submitted old data on the number of households in their respective areas of responsibility while others did not provide the said information at all.
“Ang records nga gipasubmit sa atong kapolisan dili magsibo gumikan kay ang atong mga barangay official di pud updated ang ilang records mao na ang ubang barangay, lungsod, nakita nga usa ka challenge siya,” he added.
There are 1,109 villages in Bohol but authorities have yet to determine the exact number of households in the province.
Based on data from the PCR, a total of 300,787 “Seal of Good Housekeeping” stickers have been printed and distributed to the province’s 48 police stations.
Lopena however clarified that the number of available stickers is not necessarily the exact number of drug-free households in the province.
According to Lopena, there have been numerous families which have asked for the stickers to be posted on their houses but lacked certification, including that of the Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program Without Walls of the local government units.
He also noted that on the other hand households can opt to not have the stickers posted.
The sticker-posting program was officially launched in Bohol on December 30.
Each of the stickers have a unique number code for a specific household.
Earlier, Governor Edgar Chatto highlighted the crucial role of families in the nationwide crackdown against illegal drugs. (Rey Tutas)