PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) assures the public that they are gaining in the war against illegal drugs as new efforts are being initiated to sustain the campaign.

PDEA Region 1 Director Jeoffrey Tacio said, 70% of the objectives set have been accomplished on the war against illegal drugs with the support of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Health (DOH)and barangay officials.

Tacio said 226 barangays out of 1,269 drug-affected barangays in Pangasinan have been validated.

In Region 1, 444 barangays out of 2,289 barangays have been validated.

He admitted that PDEA noted that fewer operations are being conducted because many barangays are being cleared.

However, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) has required that a reevaluation be done by oversight committees in the region, provincial and town levels to be composed of PDEA, DILG, PNP, DOH and LGU representatives.

The committee is also tasked to determine and encourage cleared LGUs to set up intervention programs to help surrendered drug personalities, i.e. livelihood, physical activities, counseling, etc., and to task medical health officer from DOH to continuously evaluate who among those who surrendered need to undergo rehabilitation in a facility or community based rehabilitation program.

He said there must be an intervention program to sustain what have been gained in the war on illegal drugs.

“It is not enough to declare an area to be drug cleared,” Tacio said. (Nora Dominguez)

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments