Illegal drug trade has infiltrated schools in the province amid the government’s intense crackdown on the prohibited activity, said a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) official.

According to Ma. Chona Egam, PDEA-Bohol intelligence officer, there are several suspects who are dealing drugs in schools prompting the agency to heighten monitoring operations.

Egam told DYRD Balita that the illegal activities such as the sale and use of the illegal substance are being conducted by students and teachers, particularly in Tagbilaran City.

However, the PDEA agent noted that their information on the allegation will still undergo further verification.

In April, Eladio Yagao Gonzaga, a grade school teacher of the Bartolome Doria Elementary School in Loboc, was arrested for allegedly dealing shabu and charged for possession and sale of illegal drugs.

There had been no other reported arrests made against school employees following Gonzaga’s case, but following recent reports, the PDEA has started to coordinate with school officials in a bid to curb the alleged illegal drug activities in several institutions.

As stipulated in the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, schools are required to include drug prevention in their curriculum but the PDEA intends to boost the information drive through an anti-drug symposium.

Meanwhile, drug supply in the entire province has continued to dwindle pushing shabu prices up, said Egam, supporting previous claims made by the Bohol Provincial Police Office. (Rey Tutas)