COTABATO CITY – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-ARMM) declared 159 of 508 barangays in Maguindanao as “drug-cleared.”
In a report, Juvenal Azurin, PDEA-ARMM director, also bared that some 11, 000 drug-dependent individuals in the province have so far yielded to authorities.
During a weekend Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Padac) meeting, Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu and Vice Governor Lester Sinsuat lauded the efforts of PDEA-ARMM to curb illegal drug use in the province.
“This meeting aims to strengthten the advocacy of President Rodrigo Duterte to rid the country of illegal drugs, and we in Maguindanao, in coordination with PDEA-ARMM, should respond to the call with vigilance at all times,” the governor told the 36 town mayors and representatives who attended the three-day Padac gathering held in Davao City.
Azurin said their office is looking forward to the swift creation of more Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council, through the help of the governor, to purge the province of illegal drugs soonest. (PNA)
