One hundred twenty-two out of 601 barangays of Negros Occidental, and 41 of 61 villages in Bacolod City, have yet to be declared drug-cleared by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Three provinces in Western Visayas, meanwhile, have achieved a 100 percent drug-cleared barangay status in line with the Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP), led by the PDEA.
PDEA information officer Graziella Tanaleon said April 19 that all barangays of Aklan, Antique, and Guimaras were “successfully deliberated” by the Regional Oversight Committee.
“Their barangays that were previously cleared also undergo validation and verification to ensure that they maintain their status or else will be revoked,” she said in a Philippine News Agency report, adding that Aklan has 372 barangays, Antique has 590, and 98 in Guimaras.
“When we say drug-cleared, the barangay was previously affected either slightly, moderately, or seriously. They undergo deliberation by the Regional Oversight Committee for drug-cleared declaration,” Tanaleon said.
Drug-free, on the other hand, are those that have no reported drug activities. However, they still have to undergo deliberation for verification.
Aside from Bacolod and Negros Occidental, the remaining areas to be declared as drug-cleared include 31 barangays in Capiz, 14 in Iloilo province, and 86 in Iloilo City.
Tanaleon said 3,757 of the 4,051 villages in Western Visayas, as of their last deliberation March 7, have been cleared of drugs, leaving 294 that have yet to hurdle the deliberation by the oversight committee.
Tanaleon said they are also intensifying their interdiction efforts at airports, ports, terminals, and borders.
“We cannot deny the fact that Region 6 is considered a drug route coming from NCR (National Capital Region), Calabarzon Region going to Region 7, and even Mindanao. We have a vast coast where drugs can be smuggled, that is why operatives ensure that they are intercepted,” she added. ||
