Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto addressed the following points during the weekly flag-raising ceremony:

00:01-00:46: Mayor Vico thanked the Pasig City Anti-Drug Abuse Office (PCADAO) and those involved in the Kick-off Ceremony for the celebration of the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week. He commended the continuous efforts of PCADAO and the members of the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council for their dedication.

00:47-01:11: He also acknowledged the presence of barangay officials, led by Liga ng mga Barangay President Geronimo "Ambo" Alba, for their active participation.

01:12-01:19: Acknowledgment of City Officials, departments, and personnel from the Social and Infrastructure Sector who attended the flag-raising ceremony.

01:20-04:14: Strengthening Pasig City’s Disaster Preparedness and Risk Management

- Mayor Vico thanked the Incident Management Team for their efforts during the recent typhoon. While Pasig City was spared from severe damage caused by Super Typhoon Pepito, he reminded everyone of the importance of staying prepared. He cautioned against becoming complacent after less tragic outcomes and emphasized the need for a proactive approach to disaster risk mitigation.

- He emphasized that the extensive disaster risk preparations over the weekend were worth the effort, as this proactive approach is crucial in dealing with such incidents. He highlighted the importance of maintaining this level of preparedness, especially with the inevitability of future typhoons, like the recent period when the Philippines experienced five typhoons with just less than two to three weeks intervals. Mayor Vico called for consistent readiness from everyone, starting with the Incident Management Team and the barangays. He reiterated that it is always better to be over-prepared for these events than to face the consequences of being caught off guard.

- Mayor Vico highlighted improvements in disaster preparedness, including the prepositioning of personnel, equipment, and relief goods. This is all in coordination with the barangays, including the pre-setting up of evacuation centers, even before there is a need for people to evacuate: especially in barangays that are usually hard-hit by typhoons such as: Dela Paz, Maybunga, Rosario, Santolan, and Sta. Lucia.

- Mayor Vico then praised the prompt response and proper coordination among the barangay, city, and national government during the disaster response for ST Pepito. He then once again thanked and commended the barangay officials.

04:15-05:34: Enhancing Pasig City’s Fight Against Illegal Drugs

- Mayor Vico reiterated the need to continue and strengthen the city's anti-illegal drug campaign.

- Like the reminders of health experts, representatives from the peace and order sector, and now, the Dangerous Drugs Board, Mayor Vico emphasized the importance of tackling the supply side by disrupting the flow of illegal drugs from dealers to pushers. However, he highlighted the need to place greater focus on reducing the demand for illegal drugs. He explained that despite the effectiveness of enforcement actions such as buy-bust operations and entrapments, the persistence of demand will inevitably sustain the supply side.

- Mayor Vico said that it is important to strengthen what we have already started. He underscored initiatives like information and educational campaigns in schools and livelihood programs for families affected by illegal drugs as important steps in addressing the issue. He reiterated the need to intensify the fight against illegal drugs.

05:35-05:39: He concluded his speech by once again extending his thanks and greetings to everyone who attended the flag ceremony.

To watch the full video of the flag-raising ceremony, click this link: