“Say no to illegal drugs and help the country be drug free.”

This is the call of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as it enjoins the nation to unite with the global community in the observance of the International Day Against Illegal Drugs and Illicit Trafficking (IDADAIT) with theme “Share Facts on Drugs, Save Lives.”

In accordance with the United Nations General Assembly, the IDADAIT is observed annually by all nations to help raise awareness about illegal drugs, celebrate achievements, and reinforce international support and cooperation.

Pursuant to the vision of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte of a drug-free country, DSWD implemented the Yakap Bayan Program (YBP) which provides for a holistic comprehensive framework of intervention to help the Recovering Persons Who Used Drug (RPWUDS) be reintegrated with their families and communities after fulfilling a rehabilitation program.

Supportive to the IDADAIT theme, the Yakap Bayan Program also advocates for the dissemination of the right information on drugs as a key component in the fight against drugs.

The Yakap Bayan Program is anchored on the Duterte Administration’s Philippine Anti-Illegal Drug Strategy (PADS) campaign. Under the PADS, government agencies work together with the goal of achieving a drug-free country, which is the primary vision of the President.

With the Yakap Bayan program, DSWD contributes to the overall anti-drug campaign of the Government, focusing on helping those who formerly used drugs to become productive citizens of the country, and in establishing measures to advocate for the prevention of substance abuse in a community.

DSWD is currently advocating for the institutionalization or adoption of the Yakap Bayan Program by the Local Government Units (LGUs). Presently, the Department has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for its localization in 44 LGUs.

The Department emphasizes that the comprehensive programs of various government agencies against drug abuse are geared towards freeing the country from the disastrous effects of illegal drugs within the family, within the community and within the nation.

DSWD stresses that now is the time to take the communities away from the influence of drugs, and create a drug free nation for the future generation. ###