Gary Lao, head of the City of Lapu-Lapu Substance Abuse Prevention (Closap)./CDN FILE PHOTO
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — Three more barangays in Lapu-Lapu City were declared fully drug-cleared after complying with all parameters set forth by the Regional Oversight Committee for the Barangay Drug Clearing Program.
These barangays are Pangan-an, Caubian, and Kalawisan.
The Regional Oversight Committee for the Barangay Drug Clearing Program is headed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), with member agencies including the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Health (DOH).
The declaration was made through PDEA’s Memorandum Circular No. 2020-026 and Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No. 4, Series of 2021, which sustains the implementation of the Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP).
All three barangays have satisfactorily complied with the requirements provided under the PDEA memorandum.
Earlier, Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan challenged other barangays to do their best and comply with the requirements to be declared drug-cleared barangays.
With the addition of these three barangays, the city now has 11 drug-cleared barangays and one drug-free barangay out of a total of 30 barangays.
Other drug-cleared barangays in Lapu-Lapu City include Caw-oy, Baring, Tungasan, Subabasbas, Tingo, Sabang, Santa Rosa, and San Vicente.
The lone drug-free barangay in the city is Caohagan, which was declared drug-free in 2019 and has maintained its status.
City of Lapu-Lapu Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (CLOSAP) Executive Director Garry Lao also appealed to the PNP and the PDEA to help maintain and sustain the drug-clearing program.
On Thursday, Lao said that the PDEA, in coordination with CLOSAP and the PNP, conducted a validation meeting with the drug-cleared barangays to sustain their status. The main purpose of the validation is to ensure the sustainability of drug clearing in barangays.
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