Heeding the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr for a human-rights based approach to drug abuse prevention and control, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to strengthen its current efforts to address drug use among children and adolescents through the formulation of a Model of Intervention (MOI).

The DSWD’s Social Technology Bureau (STB), in collaboration with the Dangerous Drugs Board and the ASEAN Training Center for Preventive Drug Education (ATCPDE) conducted a series of write shops for the development of the MOI early this June.

The MOI, to be implemented in Special Drug Education Centers (SDECs) across the country, entails the development of a Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention Education Tool Kit for children aged 12 years and below; early adolescents or those who are 13 to 17 years old; late adolescents who are 17 years old and beyond; and for parents or caregivers.

The MOI is targeted for completion in 2026 and shall be first of its kind in the country and the ASEAN Region.

Stakeholders from other national agencies, local government units (LGUs), civil society organizations (CSOs), and the academe attended the write shops and provided inputs making the tool kit more responsive, culturally- and age appropriate to the target clients. #