[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 heading=’Attaining drug-free status tough for Iloilo City brgys’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Sunday, June 18, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – This city’s 180 barangays are struggling to meet the parameters that the Philippine National Police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) laid out to be declared drug-free.
Only two barangay councils have so far submitted their applications to be declared as such, said Councilor Reyland Hervias, the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in this city.
The barangay councils have until June 30 to file their applications and submit the needed supporting documents to the Liga. The Iloilo City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ICADAC) and a regional oversight committee led by PDEA will then conduct the validation.
Among others, said Hervias, barangay anti-drug abuse councils have a hard time convincing identified drug personalities to undergo rehabilitation.
Drug rehabilitation is a must, stressed Superintendent Remus Zacharias Canieso, city police director.
The Iloilo City Police Office is part of the oversight committee.
“Kung may drug users dapat mag-conduct sila (barangay councils) sang drug rehab program. Kasi indi pwede nga may drug users sa barangay tapos walang intervention na ginawa,” said Canieso.
Hervias declined to name the only two barangays that were able to submit their applications but said they were from the City Proper.
Canieso said the target date for the announcement of drug-cleared barangays is July 11.
Hervias said a barangay cannot also earn the drug-free title if it has even just only one drug user left.
Officials of barangays that will not be declared drug-free may also be assumed as “drug protectors”, he added,
Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said a lot of efforts have been made to address the illegal drug problem. What is lacking is the documentation, which the barangays are doing, he said.
In declaring an area drug-free, PDEA and the Philippine National Police consider the following factors:
* non-availability of illegal drugs
* absence of illegal drug transshipment activity
* absence of clandestine illegal drug laboratory
* absence of clandestine illegal drug warehouse
* absence of clandestine illegal chemical warehouse
* absence of marijuana cultivation site
* absence of drug den
* absence of drug pushers
* absence of drug users/dependents
* absence of protectors/coddlers and financiers./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
