POE HIGHLIGHTS ROLE OF BARANGAYS IN FIGHTING CRIME

Saying no one can solve the country's problems alone, Sen. Grace Poe rallied barangay officials to join her campaign to eradicate poverty and fight crime and corruption.

In a meeting with hundreds of barangay officials in Quezon City Thursday night, the lone independent presidential aspirant bared the plans of her "Gobyernong may Puso" and highlighted the barangays' role in ensuring the success of any national campaign against illegal drugs.

"Ngayon, merong mga nagpo-propose na three to six months, masusupil, matatapos ang problema ng krimen at droga. Mga kababayan, pati ako gusto ko 'yon, pati kayo gusto natin 'yon. Pero makatotohanan din tayo, paano natin gagawin 'yon?" Poe asked.

If she wins in the May 9 elections, Poe said she would strengthen and incentivize crime-fighting on the barangay level to encourage more barangay officials to get involved in reporting suspicious activities in their communities.

"Ang pinaka-vital partner para magtagumpay ang programa na 'yan ay ang barangay. Ang Barangay Anti-Drug Council (BADAC) ay dapat matagal nang pinalakas ng ating gobyerno sapagkat ang bawat barangay chairman o miyembro ng barangay, alam ninyo kung sino sa barangay ninyo ang nagtutulak, kung sino sa barangay ninyo ang may bagong motor na hindi alam kung saan nanggaling, kung sino sa barangay ninyo ang nanalo at tumaya sa kung ano mang tinayaan," she said.

BADACs are tasked to plan and execute anti-drug abuse programs in barangays. They are authorized to create the BADAC auxiliary teams, which ideally should be composed of 25 people per 2,000 population. These teams will monitor the streets and identify drug-affected homes.

However, partly due to weak or non-existent BADACs, 20 percent or 8,629 of the country's 42,065 barangays are considered drug-affected or have drug-related cases. In Metro Manila alone, 92 percent of barangays were affected by illegal drugs in 2014, meaning there is a drug user, pusher, manufacturer or cultivator in the area.

"Kayo po talaga ang koneksyon sa ating mga kababayan. Ang gagawin ko ay insentibo para sa inyo. Hindi po bala, kundi insentibo," Poe said. "Sa bawat barangay na may problema sa droga, sa krimen, kakausapin ang mga barangay captain. Kung mabawasan ninyo ang problema ng kalahati, may pabuya ang bawat barangay na makakagawa 'non; pagkatapos ng ilang buwan--daang libo."

Aside from sharing specific plans to address criminality, Poe declared her commitment to create more than a million jobs every year and to end contractualization, a persistent problem in the labor sector.

She also vowed to issue an executive order to institutionalize feeding in public day care centers and elementary schools, and to make quality education free and more accessible to the poor.

"Sa tingin ko talaga ang ating mga kababayan ay sabik na sa pagbabago--isang pagbabago na magbibigay sa kanila ng disenteng pamumuhay, na gusto nila may sapat na kita ang kanilang pamilya," Poe, the first foundling to run for president, said.

"Ang inaalay ko sa inyo ay ito: inaalay ko ang aking katapatan, inaalay ko ang aking dedikasyon, at inaalay ko ang aking enerhiya para matugunan natin ang pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan," she said.