By Luel Galarpe/PNA
CEBU CITY — The number of barangays or villages affected by illegal drugs in Cebu province has decreased this year, the head of the Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office (CPADAO) said Thursday.
Some 76.64 percent, or 810 of the 1,066 barangays in the province are drug-affected as of October this year, Ivy Durano-Meca said, noting that the number of affected villages is lower compared to 90 percent in 2016 and 86 percent in 2017.
Based on the CPADAO assessment report, of the 810 barangays, 14 are seriously affected, 403 are moderately affected, and 393 are slightly affected.
The CPADAO report also showed that 11 villages are unaffected, while 245 were declared as drug-free barangays.
However, Meca said 20 percent of the 245 drug-free-declared barangays are in danger of losing their status as they failed to live up to standards.
She said they are now monitoring these barangays and have already advised them on how to sustain their drug-free status.
The problem of most of these barangays is their failure to produce graduates in their respective community-based rehabilitation program for drug surrenderers, she said.
More than 46,000 drug users and pushers in the Cebu province have voluntarily surrendered since 2016, the CPADAO report also said.
