NEWSFLASH

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EDU WANTS TO HEAD MAKATI DRUG WAR

Makati City, Sept. 23, 1998 - Makati Vice Mayor Edu Manzano wants a real-life tough job, not too different from the good guy roles he portrays in the movies.

He's been in office only 20 days, and already he knows exactly how he could best serve his city -- he wants to head Makati's anti-drug campaign "if Mayor Binay will allow it."

Manzano issued the statement after learning of Mayor Elenita Binay's remark that she was still undecided as to which committee Manzano will be appointed.

"If the good mayor will allow me to chair the anti-drug campaign, I will not hesitate to accept it," said the actor, who was the first husband of Lipa City Mayor Vilma Santos-Recto.

Presently the vice-president of the Anti-Drug Campaign of the Philippines, Manzano ably assists the leadership of the non-governmental organization tied up with 12 of the country's 15 regions. The organization provides workshops, literature and seminars to drug dependents "to slowly turn their minds into sports."

"That is what I want to happen in my city, because everywhere in Makati's 33 barangays, the reported incidence of drugs is very alarming," he said.

He said he wants a strong mechanism within each neighborhood "that will pinpoint a certain household infested with drugs without harming the source of the information."

He explained that although the fight against illegal drugs is also shared by the Makati Public Safety Assistance, the group has other activities and is not very active in the anti-drug drive.

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