ISULAN, Sultan Kudarat (PIA) -- Mayor Marites K. Pallasigue on Monday vowed  to put at the core of her tenure the fight against illegal drugs to protect her constituents.

“Magpapatuloy po ang ating pagtutok kontra illegal na droga,” she said at the 21st Sangguniang Bayan Inaugural Session, Monday morning.

To achieve the direction she wants to set, the chief executive said she will allocate funds for programs on anti-illegal drugs campaign to be pushed by the local government.

Pallasigue also plan to develop a scheme that will persuade illegal drug users and pushers to change their lifestyles and encourage more youth who are into drugs to leave their bad habits and instead make use of rehabilitation programs and activities espoused by the local government unit.

“Currently we still have some barangays which are not yet declared drug-free,” the last termer lady executive noted as she expressed determination to have all 17 barangays of the capital town be declared drug cleared when she steps down in 2025.

A report from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) here in SOCCSKSARGEN stated that Isulan town has 13 drug-cleared barangays while four still remained drug-affected.

This early, the mayor enjoins all barangay heads and officials regardless of their political affiliations in the last elections to “work with me, this is beyond politics. We all have a stake in this, we are all accountable, magtulungan po tayo, tulungan nyo po at ako pagsumikapan po natin na maging drug-cleared ang ating mga nasasakupang lugar.”

“I will utilize the considerable powers of my office to ensure a drug-free Isulan for our children,” Pallasigue vowed in front of residents representing various sectoral communities. (AC AGAD/PIA XII)