The Commission on Higher Education Regional Office 2 (CHED RO2) hosted the meeting of the officers of the Preventive Education and Capacity Building in Higher Education Region 2 (PrEACHER-02) held on March 9, 2023 at the CHED Regional Office 2 Auditorium, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.
Dr. Almacita P. Abrigo, CHED RO2’s Chief Education Program Specialist, welcomed the participants of the meeting and imparted that the organization’s plans have to be cognizant of various factors that affect the tendency of an individual to gravitate towards illegal drug dependency. Dr. Abrigo also underscored the role of a Higher Education Institution (HEI) as a safe haven for students and an actor in the establishment of a system for the protection of the youth against illegal drugs.
The agenda covered during the meeting includes the discussion and preparation for the PrEACHER-02’s future endeavors, drafting of the “BALAKAD: A Unified Intervention Program for the Conduct of Drug Testing among HEIs in Region 2”, and the stakeholders’ dialogue for the conduct of BALAKAD. Engr. Joven B. Jacinto, CHED RO2’s Education Supervisor II and Philippine Anti-Illegal Drugs Strategy (PADS) Focal Person, facilitated the discussion of the matters.PrEACHER-02 is an organization composed of Guidance Counselors and Chiefs/Deans/Directors of Student Affairs and Services of HEIs in the region, which emanated from CHED RO2’s “Preventive Education and Capacity-Building in Higher Education against Illegal Drugs” or “PrEaCH against Illegal Drugs”. Said advocacy program supports the Executive Order No. 66, s. 2018 that calls for the institutionalization of anti-illegal drugs strategies to the activities and programs implemented by agencies and institutions in both the public and private sectors.
