The Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing (ROCBDC) convened for the sixth time this year to deliberate on the application for “drug cleared”/”drug-free” status of thirty (30) barangays in Central Visayas last June 30. | Photo from PDEA-7
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Monitoring is important in drug-cleared barangays because there is a possibility that these barangays may be flooded with illegal drugs again.
Leia Albiar, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas spokesperson, said this as she emphasized the importance of monitoring drug-cleared barangays so that they may remain free of illegal drugs.
Albiar also cleared misconceptions about the Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP) and the drug-cleared barangays and that they were cleared because of successfully implemented programs and strategies both on the supply, demand, and harm reduction of illegal drugs in their respective areas.
“Wala mana gikural atong mga barangay, so it is possible nga naay muabot nga mga bag-ong personalities,” she said.
(These barangays are not fenced so it is possible that there would new drug personalities that will arrive.)
“Mao nang maski cleared na ang barangay, naa gyud tay monitoring for newly identified drug personalities, and magconduct gihapon tag anti-illegal drug operation if naay validated drug personalities nga dili mahangyo ug surrender,” PDEA-7 spokesperson Albiar said.
(This is why even if the barangay has been cleared, we always have a monitoring for newly identified drug personalities, and that we continue to conduct anti-illegal drug operations if there are validated reports of drug personalities who were asked to surrender but would not surrender.)
Last June 30, the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing (ROCBDC) has again convened for the sixth time this year to deliberate on applications of at least 30 barangays in Central Visayas to be declared as drug-cleared.
Albiar said that as of this posting, there were at least 17 barangays declared as drug-free while 13 others were under probationary status as they were given 15 days to complete their documents.
Nineteen applicants were from Cebu Province, seven from Negros Oriental, two from Lapu-Lapu, and two from Cebu City. Of the 19 applicants in Cebu province, seven were declared as drug-cleared while 12 remain in probationary status.
In Negros Oriental, six were also declared as drug-cleared while one was given probationary status. Two barangays in Lapu-Lapu and Cebu City were also declared as drug-cleared.
“Technically OK na ang 30 bgrys, naa lang gamay na need to complete,” she said.
(Technically, these 30 barangays are okay. They only need a few [requirements] to complete.)
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