DRUG UNAFFECTED. Barangay officials in Sto. Tomas town Pangasinan received on Wednesday (April 14, 2021) the certificate of drug unaffected barangay from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Pangasinan provincial office. The barangays and the town as a whole remained unaffected by drugs since 2017. (Photo courtesy of PDEA Pangasinan)
STO. TOMAS, Pangasinan – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Pangasinan provincial office has recognized anew this town’s 10 barangay as drug unaffected.
PDEA Pangasinan provincial officer Dexter Asayco awarded Wednesday the certificate of drug unaffected status to the barangay officials and the local government unit (LGU).
“May we not rest on our laurels, instead continue to maintain and strengthen the implementation of advocacy campaigns against illegal drugs,” Asayco said during the awards ceremony.
In an interview, Pangasinan Police Provincial Office information officer Maj. Arturo Melchor II attributed the status of the barangays to the effective anti-drug campaign of the LGU, barangays, and the police with the cooperation of the residents.
“They (have) managed to remain drug unaffected since 2017,” he said.
Drug unaffected barangays are those which have never been affected by illegal drugs.
Meanwhile, Melchor said there are now a total of 1,042 barangays in the province classified as drug-cleared, while 232 remained uncleared.
The latest drug-cleared barangays are Seselangen, Sioasio West, and Bolaoen in Sual town Pangasinan. (PNA)
