TALIÑO
Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO 7) director Chief Supt. Noli Taliño clarified that the barangays in Cebu Province which were declared by their respective police stations as drug-free, are still subject for validation.
According to Taliño the declaration of 81 barangays in Cebu as drug-free is not yet final.
“I told them (Cebu Provincial Police Office) we are not yet recommending them as drug-free barangays since it’s not yet final. It is still subject for validation,” Taliño said.
The statement of Taliño came after Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office (CPADAO) questioned CPPO’s declaration of 81 barangays as drug-free.
Earlier, CPADAO chief Ivy Durano Meca said that it is the governor who has the authority to make such declaration and not the police.
She added that after a thorough validation by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), the governor has to make the declaration
As of January 3, Governor Hilario Davide III has not declared any drug-free barangay in the province.
Taliño said that under the process of validation, police station chiefs who recommended their respective barangays as drug-free will also be asked why they have made such recommendation.
“Part ng validation yun. Bakit nila deniclare na drug free. So if I will not approve it, babalik sila sa zero (It is part of the validation process. They will be asked to defend their recommendation why they declared their barangays as drug-free. So if I will not approve it, they will have to go back to zero),” Taliño said.
Across the province, 81 out of 1,066 barangays had been recommended and declared drug-free by their respective mayors, local police chiefs and Barangay Anti-Drug Advisory Councils (BADAC) last month.
CPPO director Sen. Supt. Eric Noble earlier clarified that these barangays still have to undergo evaluation by PDEA 7 and CPADAO.
Noble said that the areas earned their status based on standards set by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in accordance with Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation 2 which provides the guidelines for drug-clearing operations in the barangays.