SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, ANTIQUE – Since the time when the Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan (BIDA) Program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) was launched in the region this year 2023, the local government of Antique has already been supporting the said program and gaining positive impacts.  The DILG – Antique, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Antique and other stakeholders, officially launched BIDA Program in the province on 13 June 2023 at the EBJ Freedom Park.

Employing sectoral partnerships, the BIDA program Provincial Launching in Antique involved series of activities including press conferences, Zumba, poster making contest, and the launching of Balay Silangan in San Remigio, Antique.

DILG Provincial Director John Ace A. Azarcon, in his message, emphasizes that the BIDA program underscores a holistic approach in countering the proliferation of illegal and dangerous drugs, hence, encourages multi-sectoral participation.

Further, DILG Assistant Regional Director Maria Calpiza Sardua congratulated the Province of Antique for having 99.66% of its barangays declared as drug cleared/free yet posing a challenge to continue to unite and remain active against any activity involving illegal drugs.

“Our program to fight against illegal drugs will be more effective if members of each sector of our community work together with the local and national governments,” ARD Sardua added.

The agencies that are in partnership with the DILG supporting BIDA are the Peace, Order and Public Safety Office (POPS) of the province of Antique, Provincial Health Office (PHO), Provincial Information Office (PIO), Antique Police Provincial Office (APPO), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Department of Education (DepEd), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

After the official opening of the program, the launching activities commenced with the poster-making contest as one of the ways in promoting BIDA in which sixteen (16) high school students participated from various schools of Antique.

Virgil T. Bacallan of San Roque Ezpeleta National High School, Lerra Win Miranda of Antique Vocational School, and Charles Nerecena of Diclum National High School emerged as first, second, and third winners of the poster-making contest respectively.   Jaren Alvarez Centina of San Pedro National High School received the “ARD’s Choice” special prize from the DILG Western Visayas Assistant Regional Director Maria Calpiza Sardua.

On the other hand, the inauguration of Balay Silangan in San Remigio, Antique, the fourth of its kind in Antique, was also held during the BIDA program launching. The Balay Silangan is a facility that temporarily shelters drug offenders to reform them into self-sufficient and law-abiding members of society. The municipalities of Patnongon, Hamtic, and Tibiao in Antique officially launched their respective Balay Silangan in previous years.

The Local Government Units are then expected to implement year-round, consistent, and sustained programs, projects, and activities relative to the implementation of the BIDA Program – the DILG’s medium to long term program in the national campaign against the illegal drugs. This ultimately seeks to improve quality of life and safeguard the Filipino people from criminality and the ill effects of drugs, in a manner that is within the framework of law and with respect for human rights.