Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada has commissioned 29 members of the Philippine Army to teach grade school pupils the danger of illegal drugs.
The 29 soldiers are all members of the Civil Military Operations Group (CMOG), an elite unit of the Philippine Army (PA) that specializes in conducting psychological and psycho-social operations or "hears and minds" campaign in the communities with the aim of winning the support of the civilian populations.
They will augment the 13 police officers of the Manila Police District who are already conducting lectures in the city's public elementary schools.
According to Estrada, training Army soldiers to become certified DARE instructors is part of his plan to expand the implementation of the drug abuse prevention program not only in Manila but also in the entire country.
The soldiers will be teaching DARE lessons to Grade 5 and 6 students in all Manila public schools.
“With your help, we can now assure the future of our children. And by teaching them how to say ‘No’ to drugs at an early age, we can also save the future of our nation,” Estrada said.
The mayor serves as chairman of the non-profit organization DARE Philippines Association, Inc., which brought and introduced DARE to the country in 1993 when he was vice president and chief of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission (PACC).
Source: Manila Times
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