CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan – At least 319 of the 569 villages in this province are now drug-cleared, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
PDEA Assistant Provincial Officer Marie Fe Manto said on Wednesday that the number of drug-cleared barangays in the province has increased from 294 as reported in the first quarter of the year.
Of the total drug-cleared villages, Manto said that 35 are classified as slightly affected, 274 are moderately affected, three are seriously affected and seven are still unaffected.
She said their target is to declare the remaining 250 barangays of this province as drug-cleared by the end of this year.
"There are 12 more barangays that will undergo deliberation this month to become drug-cleared," she said in an interview.
A barangay can be considered drug-cleared if it has a functional Barangay Anti-Illegal Drug Abuse Council, non-availability of drug supply, drug awareness campaign, and a voluntary and compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation processing desk.
The drug-clear status follows the certification of members of the oversight committee on the Barangay Drug-Clearing Program (BDCP).
Manto said the PDEA is continuously conducting strict monitoring in the province’s four cities, namely San Jose del Monte, Malolos, Baliwag, and Meycauayan as well as the towns of Bocaue and Marilao which are considered areas of concern or hotspots.
Meanwhile, she said that various interventions are being provided to drug personalities to help them go back to mainstream society.
“These include entering them in treatment and rehabilitation centers, Balay Silangan Reformation Center and Community Based Drug Rehabilitation Program,” she added. (PNA)
