SEEDS OF THE FUTURE. Officials of the Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Dasmariñas City local government on Thursday (July 20, 2023) plant seeds to mark the HAPAG-BIDA program's Calabarzon launch. The event sought to urge residents to engage in backyard farming while avoiding illegal drugs. (Photo courtesy of DA Calabarzon)
DASMARIÑAS, Cavite – The Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced that they are launching a unique partnership that seeks to ensure food security while advancing the anti-illegal drugs drive in this province.
In a message to the Philippine News Agency on Friday, DILG Calabarzon Regional Director Ariel Iglesias said their partnership “will be able to address the problem of food insecurity while suppressing the chronic use of illegal drugs.”
Iglesias said he believes the effects of illegal drugs, hunger, and poverty are interconnected, so the inter-agency effort will serve as a good starting point to address multiple social problems.
Titled, “Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay (HAPAG): An Operative Strategy of Buhay Natin Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan (BIDA),” the initiative had its regional launch on Thursday.
The event was held in collaboration with the Bureau of Plant and Industry (BPI), and the Dasmariñas City government.
Iglesias said HAPAG-BIDA are two merged programs wherein the DA's HAPAG program aims to encourage people to grow their own vegetables and fruits, while the DILG's BIDA program aims to encourage them to be productive while avoiding illegal drugs.
Launched in November 2022, BIDA Program is a nationwide anti-illegal drugs advocacy program involving local government units, national government agencies, and other key sectors of society that will focus more on drug demand reduction and rehabilitation in the communities, he said.
The program is being implemented in cooperation with the Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, National Bureau of Investigation, among others.
The DA Calabarzon provided up to PHP667,000 worth of vegetable crops, fertilizers, and equipment to get barangays start on the novel anti-hunger and anti-drugs program. (PNA)
