LAOAG CITY – Ilocos Norte’s smallest town of Adams, which has a population of more than 2,000 Indigenous Peoples, has been declared drug-free.
In a simple ceremony on Monday, officials of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the municipal government signed the declaration, witnessed by the townsfolk, who consist of Isnag, Iyapayao, Kankanaey, Igorot, Bago as well as Ilocanos.
Lanibelle C. Ancheta, provincial officer of PDEA, enjoined the local residents to help maintain their town’s drug-free status.
Under Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 3 series of 2017, a drug-free declaration means the non-availability of supply of illegal drugs; the absence of any drug den, pusher, and user; and the absence of a clandestine drug laboratory. Barangay officials must be actively involved in anti-drug activities, such as drug awareness, preventive education, and information and voluntary and compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation processing desk.
Noting that Adams is a booming eco-tourism destination in the province, Mayor Rosalia Dupagen on Tuesday urged her constituents to support government efforts to make the country peaceful by getting rid of prohibited drugs.
Of the 21 towns and two cities of Ilocos Norte, Adams was the latest to have achieved a drug-cleared status after the municipalities of Burgos, Currimao, Marcos, Vintar, and Piddig. (PNA)
