No money-making scheme in stickers plan, says Sueno
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael “Mike” Sueno. KING RODRIGUEZ/PPD
Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno on Monday played down concerns that the government plan to put “drug-free home” stickers on houses could become a “money-making” scheme for some officials.
Sueno said the Department of the Interior and Local Government would tap its peace and order fund for the production of the stickers.
“How will we make money out of it? What we will do is get [funding] from the peace and order fund,” he said in a radio interview.
Finalizing mechanics
Some sectors have raised concerns that unscrupulous local officials would sell the stickers, especially to drug addicts.
“If a person puts a drug-free sticker in his home even if it’s not drug-free, he should be ashamed. He will be shamed because our group will also conduct its own validation,” Sueno said.
“When they see a sticker, they’ll ask, ‘Who put this here? These are very simple stickers. It might cost less than P5,” he added.
“We are now finalizing the mechanics because this is being practiced in Bohol, Cebu, Quezon City, and Iloilo, so we can come up with a new one,” he said.
But human rights activists have slammed the sticker campaign, saying innocent people could fall victims.
Amnesty International said the campaign would violate civil liberties, particularly the right to privacy.
Focus on family
Sueno announced the sticker campaign last month as a “nonviolent approach” to the drug problem.
“The peace and order councils from the regional down to the barangay level will now focus on the family. For example, if one community has 20 families, we will look in first and find out who are drug-free. We will put a sticker ‘drug-free home’ on the house,” Sueno said.
“If there are five families left who are not drug-free, the 15 other families and the peace and order council will focus on convincing the remaining five, which has not qualified for the sticker yet, to qualify,” he added.
‘Oplan Hangyo’
Sueno said he wanted to call the new campaign “Oplan Hangyo.”
“This is the ‘hang’ in ‘tokhang.’ Hangyo means appeal. I appeal to you, if possible, do not practice [and make sure] no one in your family will be engaged in drugs,” Sueno said.
“This is a nonviolent approach to the war on drugs so we might succeed in this. The police will also be active in this Oplan Hangyo,” he said.
“I have yet to meet with the regional peace and order councils. But once this is finalized, we will have this from Mindanao, the Visayas up to Luzon,” he added.
