Collective effort makes Jamindan the first ‘drug-free’ town in Capiz

By Felipe V. Celino

JAMINDAN, Capiz — Through the collective effort and supports for the programs of the Municipal Anti-Drug Abuse Council (MADAC) under Mayor Mac Artur L. Valdemar, the municipality of Jamindan has been declared by the Regional Oversight Committee for Drug Clearing Program (ROCDCP) as a Drug Cleared Municipality in Capiz on November 29, 2022.

The recognition is also the result of the help and coordination of all government agencies including the local government of Jamindan, 30 barangays and the people of Jamindan.

The declaration was based on the virtual deliberation by the regional officials from Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency(PDEA), Department of Health(DOH), Department of Interior and Local Government(DILG) and the Philippine National Police(PNP).

A town must passed a long process before a local government unit (LGU) could become a “Drug Cleared Municipality”, Valdemar said in an interview with Daily Guardian on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022.

He said that each barangay should be declared Drug Free/Cleared Status. It is followed by the establishment of the Balay Silangan Reformation Center located in the Poblacion and the passing of an ordinance for a “Drug Free Workplace” wherein all the offices in the municipal hall underwent random drug test.

The mayor said that they also held a Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Youth Camp and Trainor’s Training for Anti-Illegal Drugs Youth Advocates that gathered about 60 youth individuals.

Jamindan was the first town in the whole province of Capiz and second in the whole Western Visayas to be proclaimed “Drug Cleared Municipality”.