BACOLOD CITY – A total of 348 villages in Negros Occidental have been declared clear of illegal drugs as of July this year, which is equivalent to 57.9 percent of the province’s 601 barangays, figures of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-) showed.
Jyxyvzcky Escrupulo, head of PDEA-Negros Occidental Provincial Office, said on Monday that 12 more villages were added from the previous 336 before this month’s deliberations.
“There are applicant barangays that cannot proceed with the process due to (lack of) documentary requirements and sometimes, there are newly-identified drug personalities (in the barangay),” Escrupulo added.
She said both the documents submitted by the candidate barangays and the possible drug personalities in the villages are being scrutinized during the deliberations.
In this province’s capital city, at least 13 out of its 61 barangays are considered drug-cleared.
“The barangay drug clearing in Bacolod is challenging. It is a highly-urbanized city, where there is a very active economy,” she added.
Still, Escrupulo noted that not all the illegal drugs supply entering here are intended for distribution in the city alone.
For instance, the three kilos of shabu intercepted at the Bredco port here last January were supposed to be delivered to Mindanao, based on the interview with the suspects, she said.
Meanwhile, the PDEA-Western Visayas said in a statement they continue to closely collaborate with the concerned counterpart agencies to increase the number of barangays to be cleared through proper implementation of the Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP) manual of operations in declaring a drug-affected barangay as drug-cleared, and in the conduct of validation and verification to ensure that the drug-cleared status is maintained.
The Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing chaired by Acting PDEA-Western Visayas Regional Director Alex Tablate conducts the screening and assessment of the candidate barangays.
Barangay representatives assisted by their respective local government units present and defend their applications in compliance with the parameters of the BDCP mandated by the Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation 4, series of 2021. (PNA)
