THE SM Prime Holdings has agreed to play in SM cinemas for free the government’s advertisement video against illegal drugs as part of the fight against the drug menace.
In a statement, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the company has also agreed to conduct annual physical, drug tests, and anti-drug seminars for its employees.
The DILG and SM Prime Holdings launched last Saturday at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong the Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan (BIDA) advertisement video to raise public awareness and encourage participation in the war against illegal drugs.
Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. thanked SM Prime Holdings for joining the crusade against illegal drugs and for being an active BIDA partner.
Abalos said the showing of the BIDA advertisement in all 74 SM cinema branches nationwide will greatly help in the drive to eradicate the country’s drug problem.
“We will continue doing this. Our President, he is very serious about this,” Abalos said of the war against illegal drugs, adding law enforcers are exerting their best efforts against drug dealers as part of the supply reduction.
“But then, on the other hand, we have to do something on (demand) reduction. It calls for a whole-of-country approach,” Abalos said.
He said SM Prime Holdings has also agreed to implement strict security procedures in its malls to curb illegal drugs, including the deployment of K9 dogs.
SM Prime Holdings has also agreed to allow the use of its malls as venues for events, training, and information dissemination against illegal drugs.
It will also be conducting activities such as health and fitness-related campaigns, job fairs, recreational activities, and information dissemination in SM digital assets.
SM Supermalls Senior Vice President for operations engineer Bien Mateo said the BIDA advertisement video is expected to reach an estimated 2.5 million moviegoers.
Mateo said the BIDA advertisement will be exposed to 53.8 million followers of their digital platforms. It said the e-poster format of the BIDA advertisement will also be posted in 250 mall directories that could be seen by four million mall goers daily.
Police seized P102,000 worth of suspected dangerous drugs and arrested a jobless man in a buy-bust operation in Pasig City last Saturday night.
Col. Celerino Sacro Jr., local police chief, identified the suspect as alias Uil, 18, a resident of Barangay Rosario, Pasig City.
Seize from him were six sachets containing more or less 15 grams of suspected shabu. — With Christian Oineza
