ILOILO – Three local government units in the province were declared drug-cleared, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Western Visayas (PDEA-6) said.
PDEA-6 regional director Alex Tablate on Thursday said all of the villages in the towns of Miag-ao and Igbaras, and Iloilo’s component city of Passi were declared “unaffected,” citing the result of the deliberation of the Regional Oversight Committee (ROC).
Members of the ROC include the PDEA, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Health, and the Philippine National Police.
The official declaration was done during a program in Miag-ao town on Wednesday; Passi City on Thursday; and Igbaras town on Friday.
Tablate said the local government units have established its respective Balay Silangan that will cater to the rehabilitation of drug surrenderers.
In Western Visayas, the Miag-ao town was the first to be declared as drug-cleared, as it was the first to comply with the required Balay Silangan, he added.
Tablate said drug-cleared status does not guarantee that illegal drug activities would stop since there is a possibility that newly-identified drug personalities will emerge in the localities.
He added Miagao, which has 119 villages, Passi City with 51 and Igbaras with 46 are now given the challenge on sustaining the drug-cleared status.
“It does not stop with the declaration. In fact, they shall double their effort because they need to maintain, especially the villages,” Tablate said, adding the Balay Silangan can help the local government unit maintain its status.
“The Balay Silangan is vital to sustain the drug-cleared status of a municipality or city. If there are still pusher-surrenderers in a drug-cleared local government unit, they will find it hard to troubleshoot and they will revert back to drug-affected status,” Tablate said.
Since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in 2016, he said there is a huge difference in the drug situation in Western Visayas.
From 65-percent drug-affected in villages, Tablate said it was now recorded at 20 percent.
Miagao mayor Macario Napulan, meanwhile, said the problem of drugs in the town has been addressed through the government’s efforts.
To maintain the drug-cleared status, Napulan formed a “clustering” of villages that has identified its own head.
“I meet with the cluster heads weekly to get updates or reports on drugs to maintain our drug-cleared status,” Napulan said.
Passi City mayor Stephen Palmares said the drug-cleared status of the city was achieved through the cooperation of the residents and other stakeholders.
When he assumed office in July, Palmares has vowed to clear Passi of illegal drugs by the end of 2019.
“True to our words, we have worked to achieve this status and we will continue our efforts to maintain this,” Palmares said.
Tablate, meanwhile, said the public expects more local government units in the region to follow suit as Guimbal, Iloilo will also be declared drug-cleared next week.(With a report from PNA/PN)
