QUEZON CITY, (PIA) --“We have to make a statement. We are going to show our people that the government is serious about this war on drugs. There will be house cleansing, and no one will be spared.”

Thus said Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr. on Monday (June 26) during the observance of  the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (IDADAIT) or World Drug Day.

Abalos  stressed that government and law enforcement agencies need to become “role models” in the campaign against illegal drugs.

The Interior & Local Government Secretary previously announced the conduct of random drug testing in the DILG, its attached agencies, and local governments as part of the Department’s Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan (BIDA) Program.

At least 50 police officers have also been file with criminal and administrative cases for allegedly committing irregularities in the seizure of P6.7 billion worth of “shabu” in October last year.

“We do not believe in shortcuts. We believe in the rule of law. Trust in government must be sustained,” Abalos said during a forum on mental health and substance use by the Department of Health and USAID RenewHealth Project.

With the theme “People First: Stop Stigma and Discrimination, Strengthen Prevention," this year’s IDADAIT theme focuses on the need to end stigma and discrimination and strengthen prevention which, according to Abalos, is in sync with the BIDA Program’s principles of putting primacy on prevention and rehabilitation.

“Everyone has a role in this fight. We will increase awareness against the use of illegal drugs, strengthen our community-based drug rehabilitation program, empower the youth, engage with the business sector, and promote an active lifestyle,” he said. (dilg/pia-ncr)