MANILA\u00a0— A total of 21 teachers from primary and secondary schools were arrested for drug-related offenses while 1,208.67 grams of shabu worth PHP8.3 million were seized nationwide as part of the government’s s intensified campaign against illegal drugs from July 2016 to June 15, 2018, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Friday.<\/p>\n
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PDEA added that it is continuously observing the use of minors in illegal drug activities.<\/p>\n
Since 2016 to June 15, 2018, there are already 2,111 minors rescued for violating the anti-drug law, 1,155 of whom were rescued at the onset of the drug war.<\/p>\n
Out of the rescued minors, 277 are users, 959 are pushers, and 725 are possessors, while the rest are either visitors, employees and maintainers of drug dens, cultivators, traffickers, runners and cohorts.<\/p>\n
According to PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino, the common modus operandi of drug syndicates nowadays is to employ young recruits and give them the means to enroll in schools and universities, not to study but to entice and peddle illegal drugs to students.<\/p>\n
Drug syndicates have learned to take advantage of Republic Act 9344, or Section 6 of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, which exempts minors or children 15 years old and below from criminal liability, and instead be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to undergo counseling and intervention.<\/p>\n
With this numbers, Aquino is pushing for a mandatory drug testing for students and teachers in public and private schools throughout the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the start of the government\u2019s war on drugs, PDEA has rescued four kids aged 10 and 11 years old, who became users and sellers of illegal drugs. The recorded youngest pusher arrested is aged six years old. This goes to show that drug offenders are increasingly getting younger,\u201d Aquino said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudies revealed that curiosity, boredom and peer-pressure are among the predominant influences in the initial drug use in children and in the early teenage years. After satisfying their curiosity, they may decide to stop using them, or end up abusing illegal drugs,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The purposes behind PDEA\u2019s call to conduct mandatory drug testing in schools are: to determine the extent of drug users among students, teachers, and even school personnel, or those having drug problems,; and to deter drug use, both for the purpose of reformation and rehabilitation. The move is also expected to deter peer-pressure or peer-influence that leads to drug use.<\/p>\n
Aquino said that the agency is proposing the expansion of the authorized drug testing done randomly to mandatory in schools, to include elementary pupils, starting from Grade 4.<\/p>\n
PDEA is eyeing the amendment of Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No.<\/p>\n