This effort is to reach out to the target population in both the Public School System as well as the private schools. While the ABTC is communicating with the rest of the schools to set up a visitation schedule, it decided to start with KagHS.
An ABTC team visited Chacha Junior High School and Kagman Elementary in the last school season.
The ABTC’s next visit after Kagman High School was Tanapag Elementary school on Friday during its Career Week presentations.
When asked how important it is that the youths are informed about alcohol and tobacco, ABTC Director David R. Maratita said: “It is essential that our youths get first hand information with regards to the current alcohol and tobacco laws. The purpose of our school outreach program is to educate the youths and expand their knowledge with respect to the problems our community is facing with regards to underage drinking and smoking as well as the consequences as a result of violating the alcohol and tobacco laws.”
This effort is also part of the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws grant program that is funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Program administered by the Criminal Justice Planning Agency and supported by the Youth Advisory Council.
This program is also largely supported by the Juvenile Justice Task Force composed of officials from the Department of Public Safety, the Division Youth Services, the Attorney General’s Office, the Criminal Justice Planning Agency, the ABTC, and the Community Guidance Center in enforcing the underage drinking laws.
ABTC officials said as they move forward with the school outreach program, other agencies will also be joining in educating students regarding underage drinking and smoking in the community.
The long-term goal of this effort is to protect the younger generation from consuming these highly regulated commodities.
The ABTC has other programs that address the front-line sources such as the retail stores, bars and nightclubs.
The division is conducting comprehensive enforcement efforts such as compliance checks and regular routine inspections at the licensed establishments.
As a result, at least nine stores have been cited for selling alcohol to minors since the inception of the compliance checks program which resulted in the suspension of licenses.
While the AG’s Office is handling the criminal proceedings for these offenses, four cashiers have been subsequently convicted of negligently selling alcohol to minors.
The ABTC’s goal is to visit all the schools, both public and private, before May 31, 2011 or before the school vacation starts.
