44.75% of Negros villages free from illegal drugs

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – 269 out of 601 villages, or 44.75 percent, in Negros Occidental were cleared by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-6 from illegal drugs as of September 2021.

Based on data from PDEA-6, a total of 545 villages in the province were drug-affected, while 56 were unaffected.

Of the drug-affected villages, only 254 were cleared, while eight unaffected barangays were also declared drug-free.

The 269 drug-cleared villages in the province are part of the total 3,422 or 84.47 percent drug free barangays in Western Visayas.

Out of the seven provinces in the region, Aklan has achieved 100 percent with all 327 drug-cleared villages, but validation is ongoing.

For Bacolod, 21.31 percent or 13 out of 61 villages here were also declared drug free.