[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading tag=’h3′ padding=’10’ heading=’83 drug-affected villages cleared ‘ color=” style=’blockquote modern-quote’ custom_font=” size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ custom_class=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRCO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) announced it had cleared 83 barangays in Western Visayas out of the 1,973 identified drug-affected barangays.
Of the 83 barangays, 58 were from the province of Aklan, 23 from Capiz and two from Guimaras.
Data from the PRO-6 showed that of the 1,978 affected barangays, 1,883 were classified as “slightly affected”, 87 “moderately affected” and three “seriously affected.”
The three “seriously affected” were barangays Desamparados in Jaro district, Bakhaw in Mandurriao district and Tanza Esperanza in the City Proper.
Region 6 has a total number of 3,389 barangays.
“Clearing drug-affected barangays is not easy. There are processes to follow,” said PRO-6 spokesperson Superintendent Gilbert Gorero.
There must be a “pre-operation.” This includes determining the drug personalities in the area and convincing them to surrender.
Then there’s the actual drug operation followed by post-operation activities such as the introduction of alternative livelihood programs to the surrenderees, said Gorero.
The PRO-6 spokesperson, however, clarified that the 83 cleared barangays will still be revalidated by an oversight committee of the police in coordination with the barangay council and even Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
The PRO-6 hopes to clear all the drug-affected barangays until next year.
A barangay is considered cleared if it has no more drug users, pushers and drug protectors./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
