BALER, Aurora — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has begun conducting a series of seminars on the barangay drug-clearing program here as part of continuing efforts to curb the proliferation of illegal drugs in communities.
PDEA regional director Gil Pabilona on Monday cited the important role of the barangay and its local officials in combating the proliferation of illegal drugs in their area of jurisdiction.
“The barangay is the first line of defense and should be tapped as force multipliers of President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign on the anti-drug program at the grassroots level,” he said.
PDEA division chief Christian de Honor, who was one of the lecturers, discussed the barangay drug-clearing program, briefings and parameters in clearing operations wherein the approach is to win the war against drugs.
Also discussed were the importance of Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils nationwide, the conduct of village drug-clearing operations, the classification of barangays to determine priority areas for the clearing operations, identification of duties of local chief executives in the drug-clearing program, and the imposition of penalties for non-compliance.
Senior Supt. Jonas Amparo, provincial director of the Aurora Police, said they are targeting 20 percent drug-free barangays before the end of the month.
He said the seminar was conducted together with PDEA and other counterpart agencies to define the roles and functions of each agency in the campaign against illegal drugs.
Meanwhile, Mayor Nelianto Bihasa expressed his full support to make Baler a drug-free municipality.
The mayor said he would provide PDEA an office in the municipal building.
Pabilona noted that the agency had already conducted seminars on the barangay drug-clearing program in the towns of Dinalungan, Casiguran, Dilasag, Dipaculao, and Dingalan. The next will be in Maria Aurora town on April 30. (Jason De Asis/PNA)
