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2 Bicol towns now drug-cleared

By Mar Serrano

October 4, 2019, 5:23 pm

LEGAZPI CITY -- The towns of San Vicente in Camarines Norte and Sta. Magdalena in Sorsogon have been declared as “drug cleared”, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Thursday.

Christian Frivaldo, PDEA regional director, said the two towns were issued a drug clearance after undergoing validation and assessment process by members of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and other law enforcement agencies.

Frivaldo said the two 5th-class municipalities in Bicol were given passing marks based on the 14 parameters issued by the Dangerous Drug Board (DDB) including a functional BADAC (Barangay Anti-illegal Drug Abuse Council), non-availability of drug supply, absence of drug pushers, drug users, drug coddlers, financiers, drug shipment activity, drug laboratory, warehouse, marijuana cultivation, drug den, and the existence of drug awareness campaign and voluntary and compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation processing desk.

Frivaldo, however, said the drug-cleared towns would still be monitored regularly based on the parameters set by the DDB and assessed by the Departments of Health, DILG, Philippine National Police, PDEA and the concerned local government units.

“If they fail to carry out the 14 parameters set, the clearance would then be revoked,” he said.

The town of Sta. Magdalena has 14 villages with 16,848 residents while San Vicente has nine villages with a population of 10,396. (PNA)

 

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