ILOILO – Forty-two of Alimodian town’s 51 villages have been cleared of illegal drugs.
Certificates stating such were yesterday issued to the barangay captains of the 42 villages.
These came from the regional oversight committee on illegal drugs composed of regional directors Anthony Nuyda of the Department of Interior and Local Government, Marlyn Convocar of the Department of Health, then Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag of the Police Regional Office 6, and Wardley Getalla of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Mayor Geefre Alonsabe expressed confidence the nine other villages would be cleared of illegal drugs, too. These were barangays Poblacion, Sinamay, Cuyad, Quinaspan, Pajo, Cabacanan Proper, Tabug, Bagumbayan-Ilajas, and Taban-Manguining.
They submitted late their respective Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council reports, said Alonsabe.
According to the regional oversight committee, the 42 Alimodian barangays met the following parameters set in Section 6 of Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 3, Series of 2017:
* no available illegal drugs
* no drug transit / transshipment activity
* no clandestine drug laboratory, drug warehouse, clandestine chemical warehouse or marijuana cultivation site
* no drug den
* no drug pusher, drug user/dependent, protector/coddler or financier
* active involvement of barangay officials in anti-drug activities
* existence of drug awareness, preventive education and information and programs
* existence of voluntary and compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation processing desk
Alonsabe hailed barangay officials and residents for cooperating in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“Political will is important,” he said.
Maintaining the drug-cleared status of the 42 barangays is a big challenge, according to Alonsabe, but he counts on the participation of the village leaders and their constituents.
Alimodian identified 42 drug personalities. They all surrendered to the police, said Alonsabe.
“We have no high-value targets. The 42 already stopped their illegal activities. Some found work in in other places,” said Alonsabe./PN
