Administration senatorial bet Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said recently that an increasing number of street children in the Philippines are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.
Angara said that increased substance abuse by street children is one of the causes of an uptick in crime in the country and called on government units and anti-narcotics agencies to come up with a masterplan to deal with the “very alarming” trend.
“it’s about time we take seriously the results of these studies which all indicate an alarming situation in the streets,” he said. “What is even more disturbing is the fact that the health and future of these children are under grave risk unless we do something swiftly.”
A new survey from the World Health Organization found rising use of solvents as narcotic inhalants amongst homeless children in the Philippines.
“Many of these minors have been abandoned by their families. The state can step in to protect them from further harming themselves and from posing as threats to a peaceful society,” Angara said, according to Interaksyon.
