DAVAO CITY – For the anti-drugs campaign to have meaning among school children, outgoing President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Sunday asked his daughter, Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio, to take over the country’s anti-illegal drugs programs in schools.
In his speech after witnessing the lowering of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) of Metro Manila Subway Project in Valenzuela City, Duterte said “But this time, kung wala na ako, sabihin ko na lang kay Inday (when I am no longer here, I will just tell Inday), ‘Take over. Ikaw na ang… Kunin mo ‘yang trabahong… (Take over this job).”
Earlier on, President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced that Duterte-Carpio has accepted to become the Education secretary, the later said she wants to improve the welfare and quality of education in the country.
Duterte explained that the youth are among the most vulnerable and the most affected by illegal drug use.
“Biro mo ‘yang Department of Education, maraming bata diyan. Do not ever allow contamination diyan sa ano.. (You deal with a lot of kids in the Department of Education. Do not ever allow contamination there). If you have to do it, do it,” he said.
He added that he took it upon himself to launch his administration’s aggressive crackdown on illegal drugs because “nobody would do it for us.”
Duterte warned anew of dangers in the use and sale of illegal narcotics, noting that this will destroy the country and will lead to “dysfunctional” families.
“Ang masakit sa akin isa pa, pagka tinamaan ‘yung mga bata (Another thing that pains me is that if children are affected), there will be a family dysfunction and there are plenty. So mag-away ‘yan pati mga bata. Wala na (So, they will fight, including the children), bewildered and wandering in the woods of civilization,” he added.
