Teachers to cops: Handsoff drug education

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) should keep its hands off the implementation of drug education for students from kindergarten to Grade 12, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers Philippines (ACT) said yesterday.

ACT secretary-general Raymond Basilio said the PNP should not meddle with the implementation of the government’s Preventive Drug Education Program (PDEP).

Basilio said the PNP has been antagonistic toward the education sector since 2016.

ACT issued the statement following President Duterte’s go-signal for the Department of Health to educate children about the adverse effects of taking illegal drugs.

The Department of Education will be in charge of preparing the lesson plan on drug abuse prevention and other topics on illegal drugs.

Basilio noted that the PNP wanted mandatory drug tests for children as well as inspection of their bags in schools.

The PNP has also been accused of profiling ACT members, Basilio said.

While Basilio noted that Kabataan Kontra Droga could help others see that the drug problem is an issue of health and not just criminality and law enforcement, he criticized it for allegedly being used for politicking.