CAMP MARCELO A. ADDURU, Tuguegarao City — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Region 2 officially declared the town of Sta. Teresita as the first drug-cleared municipality in the province of Cagayan on Saturday.
The formal declaration was led by Laurefel P. Gabales, PDEA Region 2 Director and Chairman of the Regional Oversight Committee, together with Dir. Jonathan Paul M Leusen Jr, of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 2; and Police Regional Office 2 (PRO2) Director Supt. Robert G. Quenery, who was represented by Cagayan Provincial Police Director Supt. Warren Gaspar A. Tolito.
The activity was also attended by other officials of the DILG, Cagayan province, 17th IB Phil Army Battalion, and Sta. Teresita town.
Tolito said since July 1, 2016, a total of 111 identified drug personalities have surrendered and are now tagged as “tokhang responders.”
He added that the said number of drug surrenders have undergone the 8-cycles of the Community-Based Rehabilitation Program (CBRP).
Out of the 13 barangays of the town, four were considered drug-free while the other nine barangays earlier drug-affected were eventually cleared after the intensified war on drugs under Project: Double Barrel Reloaded. | PNA
