• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Thirty-four barangays in Negros Island Region have been declared by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as drug-cleared, following the 1st Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing Deliberation (ROCBDCD), held on August 22 at Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. in Bacolod City.
Twenty-seven of the drug cleared barangays are from Negros Occidental, six from Negros Oriental, and one in highly urbanized Bacolod City.
Declared as drug cleared were Brgy. San Teodoro in Binalbagan; the villages of Zone 6 and Luna in Cadiz City; Malatas and Pinucotan in Calatrava; Poblacion and Tuyom in Cauayan; Bunga in Don Salvador Benedicto; Magsaysay, Paitan, and Udtongan in Escalante City; Su-ay in Himamaylan City; Barangays 2, Pilar, and Tagda in Hinigaran; Asia and Talacagay in Hinobaan; Barangay 9 in Kabankalan City; Zone 3 and Zone 5 in Murcia; Poblacion II and Rizal in Sagay City; Prosperidad in San Carlos City; Zone 4, Zone 5, and Zone 15 in Talisay City, as well as Brgy. Poblacion in Toboso.
For a barangay to be considered drug-cleared, it must meet the criteria set by the Dangerous Drugs Board, which includes the absence of illegal drugs, drug pushers, users, suppliers, financiers, manufacturers, or marijuana cultivation in the area.
The barangays must also pass assessments by the Department of Health (DOH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Philippine National Police (PNP), who are part of the oversight committee in the clearing process.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, which is part of the ROCBDCD, emphasized that a drug-cleared status is not permanent.
If validated reports confirm the presence of illegal drugs again, the drug-cleared status could be revoked, it added.
The drug cleared villages in Negros Oriental include Brgy. Amdus in Ayungon; Concepcion in Manjuyod; Calasga-an in Bais City; Bio-os in Amlan; Bulibulihan in Mabinay; as well as Bangcal in Jimalalud town.
Barangay 4 in highly urbanized Bacolod City was added to the list of drug-cleared villages in Negros Occidental.
In a statement, PDEA Regional Office – NIR said the accomplishment underscores the strong collaboration among national government agencies, local government units, and law enforcement agencies in implementing the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) guidelines and sustaining drug-free communities in the region.*
