BACOLOD City – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has announced that 93.21% of the barangays in Western Visayas have been cleared of illegal drugs as of August 31.
According to Intelligence Agent III Ruben Pilar Jr., the region’s illegal drug situation is largely under control.
This feat was highlighted during the third quarter meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council, led by Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson at Negros Residences.
Out of the total 4,051 barangays, 3,776 have been addressed, comprising 2,457 drug-cleared and 1,319 drug-free barangays. The remaining 275 barangays, or 6.79%, are still in the process of being cleared.
A “drug-cleared” barangay is one that was once affected but has undergone the Barangay Drug Clearing Program and subsequently declared free of drug influence by the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing (ROCBDC).
Conversely, a “drug-free” barangay has never been affected by illegal drug activities, as verified by the ROCBDC.
The data further reveals that the provinces of Aklan, Antique, and Guimaras have achieved a 100% clearance rate.
In Aklan, 220 out of 327 barangays are drug-cleared, and 107 are drug-free.
Antique shows similar success with 288 drug-cleared and 302 drug-free barangays out of 590.
Guimaras reports 82 drug-cleared and 16 drug-free barangays out of a total of 98.
Other areas reported varied rates of drug clearance with Capiz at 93.45%, Iloilo province at 99.59%, and Negros Occidental at 81.36%.
Urban areas such as Iloilo City and Bacolod City have clearance rates of 52.78% and 34.43%, respectively. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
