GENERAL SANTOS CITY?The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is eyeing the possibility of tapping Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao as celebrity endorser of the government?s anti-drug campaign.
?Manny could be a role model among the youth in our campaign against illegal drugs in the country,? said PDEA chief Senior Undersecretary Dionisio Santiago.
Santiago, a retired Armed Forces chief, was here over the weekend to grace the drug abuse control and prevention week launched by the agency?s regional office and local government.
He said Pacquiao could even play a vital role to discourage local officials from engaging into illegal drug trade.
The PDEA chief said a number of local politicians are reportedly involved in the illegal drug trade, thus ?Manny?s charisma could persuade them to support the government?s anti-drug campaign.?
Santiago said he will ask President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to commission Pacquiao as endorser of the government?s campaign against illegal drugs since PDEA does not have funds to pay the talent fee of Pacquiao.
?I hope that Pacquiao will do it for free to help us in the campaign against illegal drugs,? he said.
The agency chief is anticipating some difficulties in their anti-drug campaign once PDEA begins to function as the government?s lead agency in the anti-narcotics drive in July 2007.
After July 2007, the agency can already hire its own drug enforcement officers and not rely on National Police personnel who are detailed with PDEA.
Santiago said PDEA does not have the funds to hire personnel to fill in some 1,900 positions for the agency?s plantilla. He said so far, it has only hired 100 employees, composed of 55 agents and technical people, who will be graduating before the year ends at the PDEA training academy.
?We plan to extend the implementation of the transition period by 2008 in order for us to hire and train new personnel,? Santiago said, adding that the hiring will take some time since applicants have to undergo screening and training at the PDEA training academy.
?We want to ensure that PDEA will have competent and well-trained personnel to carry out our mandate to fight illegal drugs in the country,? Santiago said.
