Advisers

Flordaliza M. Gabbaoan, RCrim, MSCJ

Discipline

Criminology

Abstract

Illegal drug use continues to pose serious threats to community safety, public health, and social stability in the Philippines. At the grassroots level, the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) serves as the primary body responsible for implementing anti-drug programs, monitoring drug-related activities, and promoting rehabilitation initiatives. Despite national policies mandating its establishment, limited empirical studies have assessed the actual performance of Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council at the barangay level, particularly in densely populated communities. This study addresses this gap by examining the role and effectiveness of the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council in Barangay Gulod, Novaliches, Quezon City, focusing on drug prevention and monitoring, community education and rehabilitation, and strategic planning and coordination. A quantitative descriptive research design was employed. Fifty (50) respondents were selected through purposive sampling, consisting of thirty (30) barangay residents, ten (10) BADAC members, and ten (10) barangay officials. Data were gathered using a validated self-made survey questionnaire. Statistical tools included frequency, percentage, weighted mean, and the Kruskal-Wallis H-test to determine significant differences among groups. Findings revealed that respondents generally agreed that Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council effectively performs its roles in drug prevention and monitoring (WM=3.00), community education and rehabilitation (WM=3.06), and strategic planning and coordination (WM=3.00). However, significant differences were found among the three groups’ assessments (p<0.05), indicating varying perceptions of Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council’s effectiveness. The most commonly identified challenges were limited community cooperation due to safety concerns (84%), low youth participation (78%), and insufficient manpower and training (74%). Based on these findings, strengthened awareness campaigns, youth engagement initiatives, capacity-building programs, and improved monitoring systems were proposed. The study concludes that while Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council in Barangay Gulod is generally perceived as functional, operational and participatory gaps remain. Strengthening community collaboration, enhancing member competencies, and institutionalizing regular program evaluation are recommended to improve barangay-level anti-drug governance and sustain grassroots anti-drug efforts.

Keywords

Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council(BADAC), Drug Prevention and Monitoring, Community Education and Rehabilitation, and Strategic Planning and Coordination