LGUs urged to support drug abuse prevention monitoring system

“In this era when information technology is integral in everyone’s life, complementing our strategy in combating illegal drugs with technical innovation is the way to go, and IDMRIS is one means of doing just that,” DILG Officer-in-Charge Catalino Cuy said in a statement on Monday . (Photo: Department of Interior and Local Government/Facebook)

MANILA — With several groups handling programs on drug abuse prevention, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is urging local government units (LGUs) to utilize a web-based system that will monitor the implementation of drug policies and programs of the government and all concerned sectors.

The web-enabled system, called the Integrated Drug Monitoring and Reporting System (IDMRIS), collects, manages, and analyzes data and information on drug abuse prevention of various national government agencies, LGUs and partner groups and organizations while serving as a venue for drug abuse prevention and control programs for implementers.

“In this era when information technology is integral in everyone’s life, complementing our strategy in combating illegal drugs with technological innovation is the way to go, and IDMRIS is one means of doing just that,” DILG Officer-in-Charge Catalino Cuy said in a statement on Monday.

Developed by the Dangerous Drug Board (DDB), IDMRIS is also expected to help DDB in the analysis and evaluation of data for evidence-based decision making and appropriate government policies and strategy against illegal drugs.

The DDB is the government’s lead agency in policy-making and strategy formulation on drug prevention and control.

In a directive, the DILG encourages LGUs to utilize the web system and to send their respective Anti-Illegal Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) members to participate in the IDMRIS end-users training mounted by DDB in 13 regions of the country from August until December of 2017.

The said training activities will be conducted in the provinces of Bulacan and Bataan in Region 3; Region 2’s Isabela; Antique in Region 6; Agusan Del Norte in Region 13; Benguet of the Cordillera Administrative Region; Bohol, Negros Oriental and Cebu in Region 7; Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Albay in Region 5; Region 1’s Ilocos Norte and Pangasinan; Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur in Region 11; and Region 4B’s Romblon.