Advisers

Kathleen Ann Jabien - Bagon, MSCJ

Discipline

Criminology

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how well drug awareness seminars worked to foster a drug-free society in Barangay Matandang Balara, Quezon City. With 23 shabu-related incidents reported in Barangay Matandang Balara in 2024 and 7 in 2025, the Philippines' urban areas continue to struggle with drug usage. Preventive measures like awareness seminars are essential for creating safer, healthier settings. In order to improve preventive efforts and encourage citizens to make educated decisions, the study aimed to determine the programs' advantages and disadvantages. A quantitative descriptive research design was used, with 80 respondents selected via purposive sampling (50 seminar participants, 10 PNP personnel, 20 barangay officials). Data were collected through a self-made survey questionnaire with a four-point Likert scale, covering demographic information, perceptions of seminar effectiveness across three dimensions, encountered problems, and recommendations. Statistical treatment included frequency, percentage, weighted mean, and t-test analysis. Respondents were mostly 34–41 years old, male, long-term residents, college graduates, and government employees. The seminars received “Strongly Agree” ratings overall: composite mean of 3.71 for awareness and knowledge, 3.64 for behavioral influence, and 3.70 for social influence. Computed t-values (8.11, 11.654, 7.551) exceeded the critical value (3.14 at =0.05), rejecting the null hypothesis. The most common problem was that seminar content did not relate to personal experiences or concerns (50% of respondents). The seminars were effective but require improvements in content relevance, delivery, and engagement. A proposed campaign program—“Balara Kontra Droga: Sama-samang Pagkilos para sa Malinis na Kinabukasan”—aims to enhance effectiveness. Findings provide actionable insights for barangay officials, law enforcement, and local government units to strengthen anti-drug initiatives and sustain the community’s drug-cleared status.

Keywords

community engagement, quezon city, Drug Awareness, Drug-Cleared Community