THE DAVAO City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) is seeking to strengthen school-based interventions amid concerns over illegal drug involvement among students and minors in Davao City.
During the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) reorientation and capacity building on Wednesday, October 21, gaps in coordination, proper handling, and cross-agency referral procedures when handling student-related drug incidents were raised.
Jeff Anthony Vazquez, CADAC TARA NA community-based drug rehabilitation program, stressed that schools must work closely with social workers to ensure proper rehabilitation and community reintegration.
Local officials acknowledged that school administrators and teachers often face confusion regarding the proper protocol and legal handling when confiscating illegal substances on campus.
To prevent mishandling and ensure student safety, CADAC, DepEd, and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) are coordinating to establish a standardized referral flow.
Under the proposed framework, school heads and DepEd representatives within BADAC councils will report campus incidents quarterly.
Incidents involving Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) or drug-affected minors will be referred directly to Barangay Social Workers (BSW) and CSWDO for professional intervention and monitoring.
“When it comes to drugs, dapat man gud, usa i-expel ni teacher, natagaan na og intervention ni CSWDO unya kung mobalik sa eskwelahan, ma-refer na pud to didto,” Vazquez said.
He stated that these alignment measures will be further discussed and finalized in upcoming council meetings alongside the City Mayor’s Office to ensure seamless execution.
The DepEd Division Office also planned to conduct seminars for teachers and school principals to train staff on legal handling, reporting protocols, and team coordination.
Vazquez also confirmed that school-based preventive education CADAC modules for Grades 4 to 12 are undergoing updates.
Originally implemented in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) Davao City Division since 2018, the modules integrate substance abuse prevention into subjects like science, MAPEH, and Araling Panlipunan.
The modules were designed by academic partners and funded in part by the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB); however, logistical challenges, including physical reprinting delays, slowed the full distribution.
To address this, the official said CADAC and DepEd Division representatives are transitioning the learning materials into digital formats, such as online modules and Google Sheets, to make them more accessible to modern learners.
