ILOILO CITY — A total of 111 villages in Western Visayas were declared drug-cleared on Wednesday.
These barangays were declared drug-cleared following the series of deliberations conducted by the Regional Oversight Committee from January to March, said Thessa B. Albano, Deputy Regional Director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 6 (Western Visayas).
Albano said that most of these drug-cleared barangays are in Iloilo province with 34; 15 of which in the towns of Mina; Janiuay, 11; and eight in Maasin town.
Aklan follows with 24; 15 of which are in the town of Libacao and nine in Malinao. Antique had 22, all in the town of Hamtic; and Negros Occidental with 15, all in the town of Pulupandan.
The Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) might still conduct a revalidation of the status of these villages to make sure that they pass the parameters set by the DDB, Albano said.
Based on the record of PDEA-6, 145 barangays in the region have been cleared of illegal drugs since June last year.
Citing the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No.3, Albano said that the parameters in declaring these barangays as drug-cleared should have non-availability of illegal drugs; absence of illegal drug transshipment activity; absence of clandestine illegal drug laboratory; absence of clandestine illegal drug warehouse; absence of clandestine illegal chemical warehouse; absence of marijuana cultivation site; absence of drug den; absence of drug pushers; absence of drug users/dependents; absence of protectors/coddlers and financiers.
She added the villages are also maintaining a voluntary rehabilitation desk so they are prepared in case drug users re-emerge in their area.
These drug-cleared villages were given certificate as proof of their declaration, Albano said.
“We are working with our central office to give better award to the drug-cleared barangays,” she said.
While there is no formal program activity for the declaration of these villages, Albano said that it will depend on the local government unit if they will conduct a program for the formal declaration of the drug-cleared villages in their area, inviting representatives from the Regional Oversight Committee.
The committee is composed of the PDEA, Philippine National Police, Department of Health and Department of Interior and Local Government, among others.
But Albano said that those drug-cleared barangays would still be subjected to re-validation, three months after the declaration.
“They should maintain their status. They should be supportive of our campaign on illegal drugs and the activities of our law enforcement agencies and there should be advocacy campaign in their barangays,” she said.
Meantime, Albano said that apart from the 111 drug-cleared villages, 340 villages have yet to be declared drug-cleared.
She said that they are still waiting for their declarations to be signed by Chief Supt. Cesar Hawthorne Binag, Regional Director of PRO-6. (PNA)
