The community-based drug rehabilitation programs (CBDRP) are also thriving, contributing to the success of these barangays to becoming drug-cleared barangays. In this May 2021 photo are drug rehabilitation graduates in Barangay Sudlon I in Cebu City, which is one of the drug-cleared barangays in the city. | Photo Courtesy of COSAP (file photo)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — More Cebu City barangays are now drug cleared, making the total number of drug-cleared barangay to 11 as of December 4, 2021.
The City Office of the Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) announced that four more barangays have been declared drug-free by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) including Pamutan, Basak Pardo, San Antonio and Buot.
“This is really an achievement because this is a first for Cebu City since nagsugod na ang drug clearing program. For highly urbanized cities, it’s really difficult for us to make these barangays to be drug-cleared,” said Jonah John Rodriguez, the head of COSAP.
Other barangays who were already drug cleared included Sudlon I, Sto. Niño, Sinsin, Sapangdaku, Sudlon II, Parian, and Toong.
READ: 10 barangays in Cebu City get cash incentives for successful anti-drug programs
Rodriguez said that the barangays played an important role in clearing drugs from their jurisdictions as it would take a whole community to encourage drug users and drug pushers to turn their lives around.
The barangays have identified these drug personalities and cooperated in their enrollment for their rehabilitation and livelihood training.
“Dili madeclare ang usa ka barangay nga drug cleared kung ang ilang watchlist wala, unaccounted for. Let’s say naa silay 50 ka drug personalities sa watchlist. Dapat kana silang tanan moundergo sa atong rehabilitation,” said Rodriguez.
(A barangay cannot be declared as a drug-cleared barangay if their watchlist is unaccounted for. Let’s say they have 50 drug personalities in their watchlist. All of them should undergo our rehabilitation.)
The community-based drug rehabilitation programs (CBDRP) are also thriving, contributing to the success of these barangays.
Pushers who are non-drug users are also placed in livelihood training in the city’s Balay Silangan.
COSAP is working with more barangays to get them to be drug cleared in hopes of curbing the illegal drug trade in the city.
The agency said the solution to the drug problem would lie in community rehabilitation and giving a chance for users to change their ways.
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