ILOILO – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Region 6 declared all of Pavia town’s 18 barangays as drug-free.
Mali-ao and Balabag were the last barangays to be cleared by the Western Visayas Regional Oversight Committee (ROC) on Dangerous Drugs on Feb. 17 this year, confirmed PDEA-6’s spokesperson, Ma. Graziella Tanaleon.
However, Tanaleon said, they could not issue a certification yet as drug operatives are still conducting a re-assessment.
“Once the re-assessment confirmed that all barangays are cleared (of drugs) that’s the time we’ll issue the certificate,” Tanaleon told Panay News.
If barangay officials fail to sustain their turf’s being drug-free, their certification would be revoked.
Before declaring a barangay free from illegal drug activities, the ROC must convene and validate the non-availability of drug supply in the area and the absence of drug transit activity, clandestine drug laboratory, and chemical warehouse, marijuana cultivation site, drug den, drug pusher, and user.
According to PDEA, which sits as chair of the oversight committee, out of 4,051 total barangays in Western Visayas, 3,393 or 83.75 percent were already cleared of illegal drugs (as of this writing).
Tanaleon said their drug-clearing operation have been slowed down by the current coronavirus pandemic.
“This time we could not immediately schedule our next ROC meeting because we are under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ)… Gatherings and meetings are not allowed so we have to wait for the next schedule,” Tanaleon said.
PDEA is joined in the oversight committee by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
On the other hand, PDEA-6’s Director Alex Tablate would meet his men to discuss the drug situation in the region.
He would also meet police regional director, Police Brigadier General Rolando Miranda.
Earlier, PDEA said Negros Occidental and Bacolod City were still the main sources of illegal drugs in the region, based on “revelations” of the arrested drug pushing suspects./PN
