26 villages declared ‘drug-cleared’

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – The  Regional Oversight Committee on Dangerous Drugs declared 26 villages in Western Visayas as cleared of illegal drugs.

The members of the oversight committee led by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-6 director Edgar Apalla screened and assessed these villages during their deliberation in Iloilo City last Tuesday.

Three villages were from two towns in Negros Occidental, while other barangays were from Aklan, Capiz, and Iloilo province.

For Negros Occidental, Barangays Batea and Pasil of E.B. Magalona town; and Sebucauan of Isabela town were declared free from illegal drugs.

For Panay area, the drug-cleared areas were: Barangays Andagao in Kalibo Aklan; Malocloc and Ondoy in Ivisan, Capiz; Fernandez in Maayon, Capiz; Buntod and Pawa in Panay, Capiz; and Malapad Cogon in Sigma, Capiz.

The drug-cleared barangays in Iloilo province included – Lanas in Barotac Nuevo; Abangay, Cau-ayan, F. Parcon Ward, Cato-ogan, Ubang, Nabitasan, and Nanga in Pototan; Anoring, Apelo, Apologista, Devera, Poblacion Ilaud, Poblacion Ilaya, Poblacion Market, and Preciosa in Sara.

PDEA-6 will continue to closely collaborate with the concerned counterparts to increase the number of barangays to be cleared through proper implementation of DDB Regulation No. 3 series of 2017 and the omnibus procedures in declaring a drug-affected barangay as drug-cleared.

At present, more than 3,000 out of 4,051 villages in the region were already cleared from illegal drugs.