CEBU CITY, Philippines — A total of 48 barangays and three municipalities were the latest to be given a drug-cleared status by the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing (ROCBDC) spearheaded by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas last May 20, 2022.
Of these barangays, six are in Cebu province while one is in Mandaue City.
The three newly drug-cleared municipalities, on the other hand, are all found in Cebu. These are Madridejos town in Bantayan Island and San Francisco in Camotes Island in the north and Santander town which is located on the island’s southern tip.
In all, Central Visayas now has 1, 215 drug-cleared barangays and five drug-cleared municipalities.
In addition, the region also has 116 total drug-free barangays, according to Leia Alcantara, the PDEA-7 spokesperson.
Central Visayas has a total of 3,003 barangays.
Here is the list of barangays that were given a drug-cleared status last May 20, 2022.
Bohol province
Cebu, Negros Oriental
A barangay is considered drug-cleared after all of the known drug personalities in the area are already accounted for and were made to avail of intervention programs.
Furthermore, drug users who voluntarily surrender, are made to undergo community-based drug rehabilitation.
Drug-free barangays, on the other hand, are those that are no longer affected by illegal drugs based on the vetting and confirmation made by the ROCBDC.
However, the current status of these barangays is not permanent. These will be placed under constant monitoring by the ROCBDC.
Alcantara added that police operations will also continue in drug-cleared and drug-free areas as a means to help sustain the status of these barangays.
If found that drug suspects again proliferate in these areas, its status may, later on, be revoked.
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