By Ahikam Pasion and Hilda Austria/ PNA
TAYUG, Pangasinan — The towns of Basista and Tayug will be the latest addition to the 25 towns and cities in Pangasinan province that have been declared drug-cleared by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
During the Joint Provincial Peace and Order Council and Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council first-quarter meeting on Tuesday, PDEA provincial officer Dexter Asayco, said the declaration will be made on March 19.
Asayco said 13 towns and cities have also been endorsed to the Regional Oversight Committee, while Dagupan City and San Quintin have been endorsed to the Provincial Oversight Committee.
He noted that out of the province’s 1,364 barangays, a total of 1,271 were considered as drug-affected, 93 as unaffected, and 1,023 as drug-cleared.
Police Capt. Ria Tacderan, public information officer of the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office, in an interview Wednesday, said PDEA reverted the drug-cleared declaration of six towns and cities of the province.
Tacderan said the towns of Agno, Bautista, Binalonan, San Jacinto, San Nicolas, and Urdaneta City were drug-cleared last year but due to the existence of new drug personalities in their areas, their statuses were reverted.
“It’s as if they are back to zero. They need to undergo the process all over again. They will again undergo validation, then endorsement to the provincial committee to the regional committee and to PDEA central office,” she added.
Meanwhile, PPO assured its continuous fight against illegal drugs in the province.
