ILOILO CITY — The applications of 134 barangays from the provinces of Iloilo and Antique to be declared as cleared of illegal drugs will undergo deliberation by the Regional Oversight Committee.
These are composed of 51 barangays in Alimodian town; 22 in Cabatuan; Mina, 16; Maasin, 15; Bingawan, 14; and 15 in San Remigio town in Antique province.
In a media interview Monday, Wardley Getalla, Regional Director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 6 (Western Visayas) said these barangays were expected to be declared clear of illegal drugs by last week of March.
“We are just validating some of the barangays particularly mga slightly affected kung saan may presence ng drug users (We are just validating some of the barangays particularly those that are slightly affected whether or not there is presence of drug users),” he said.
“The police are validating it one by one para maibigay talaga natin sa tao yung totoong declaration ng drug cleared barangays, hindi yung kinikwestyon tayo (The police are validating it one by one so we could really give to the public the true declaration of drug-cleared barangays, not that we are being questioned),” he added.
Getalla said that they had just completed the deliberation on the 45 barangays set to be declared free of illegal drugs this first week of March.
But he said that those drug-cleared barangays would still be subjected to re-validation, three months after the declaration.
He said that when a drug pusher re-emerges in a barangay, it should be their responsibility to rehabilitate the drug pusher within a month to maintain their drug-cleared status.
In declaring an area drug-free, PDEA and the Philippine National Police considered factors such as, 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.
Based on the record of PDEA-6, they were able to clear 145 barangays in the region from June last year. (PNA)
