ARROYO RALLIES RP FAMILIES TO HELP IN FIGHT VS DRUGS

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo rallied last night all Filipino families
to unite and help the government in its campaign to eliminate the drug
menace as Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina Jr., Dangerous
Drugs Board (DDB) chairman, presented to the Chief Executive the more than
five million signatures in the 'Pirma Kontra Droga' manifesto.

The signatures were gathered during the nationwide "Lakbay Kontra Droga"
caravan.

Mrs. Arroyo made the call before a crowd of more than 50,000 that gathered
at the Liwasang Ipil-Ipil, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex,
Pasay City for the culmination of the anti-drugs caravan that kicked off
Monday, Feb. 16.

The crowd that started to converge as early as noon yesterday was composed
of contingents from different parts of the country. They were
representatives from the youth sector, non-government organizations (NGOs),
athletes, as well as members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), government organizations, and
agencies.

PDEA chief Undersecretary Anselmo Avenido, Undersecretary for Peace and
Order (USPO) and Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) officicer-in-charge
Marius Corpus, Undersecretary Agnes Devanadera, PNP -Anti-Illegal Drugs
Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOTF) chief Deputy Director General
Edgardo Aglipay, PNP-National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) chief
Director Ricardo de Leon, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director
Reynaldo Wycoco, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman
Bayani Fernando, Manila Mayor Jose L. "Lito" Atienza Jr., Caloocan City
Mayor Reynaldo Malonzo, Valenzuela Mayor Bobbit Carlos, and Philippine
Amusements and Gaming Corp. chairman Efraim Genuino also attended the
caravan's grand culminating activity.

The President was accompanied by her husband, First Gentleman Jose Miguel
Arroyo.

In the event, Lina reported to the President the success of the caravan,
which he said was attended by at least 10 million Filipinos who expressed
their indignation against the drug menace.

At the same time, he presented to Mrs. Arroyo the bulk of the Pirma Kontra
Droga documents containing the signature of some 5,622,664 Filipinos who
vowed never to use or even try illegal drugs and at the same help the
government in the campaign against the social menace.

The caravan, according to Lina, reached all 16 regions in the country. He
said that it was in Region 6 where the most number of signatures for the
Lakbay Kontra Droga manifesto was gathered, with 1,359,000.

In the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), 260,000 signed the anti-drug
document, while 176,930 signatures were gathered from Region 1 (Ilocos).

Lina went on to report that in Region 3, the caravan got 154,107 signatures;
Region 4-A, 455,000; Region 4-B, 100,832 ; Region 5 with 260,000; Region 7,
231,000; Region 8, 114,395; Region 9, 195,000; Region 10 260,000; Region 11,
650,000; Region 12, 195,000; CARAGA region, 132,000; and ARMM, 130,000.

In Metro Manila, 650,000 signed the Pirma Kontra Droga manifesto.

Aside from the manifesto, Lina said that 52 percent of the total number of
barangays in the country submitted their watchlist of suspected users and
pushers. The other barangays, he said, are still processing their watchlist.

Lina said that the caravan has strengthened the government's fight against
the drug menace as it was able to explain to almost every Filipino the
ill-effects of illegal drugs.