PDEA declares Anda as 8th drug-free town
A DAY after President Duterte announced the withdrawal of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from the war on drugs, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Regional Office 1 has officially declared Anda as drug free municipality on October 12.
Lawyer Marvin Tavares, PDEA OIC-Regional Director, led the representatives of the PNP, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), religious sector, Provincial Health Office and the Anda government in signing the certification declaring Anda as drug free municipality.
The certification was issued after Anda complied with all the requirements stated in the Republic Act 9165, Dangerous Drugs Board Resolution number 2 series of 2007 and Dangerous Drugs Board number 3 series of 2017.
First District Rep. Jesus Celeste was also present during the ceremonial declaration.
Tavares said, there are 18 Barangays in Anda, but only 16 were drug-affected. The two unaffected are Barangay Macandocandong under Punong Barangay Rico Calaor and Barangay Carot under Barangay Chair Geronimo Aseo.
P/ Sr. Inspector Arnulfo Rigos, OIC-Chief of Police of Anda Police Station, said all the 185 self-confessed drug personalities that surrendered have started with the community-based rehabilitation and training programs that included six months of weekly trainings, attendance in moral recovery programs, detoxification and livelihood trainings in food processing and community services like coastal clean-up drive every weekend.
Out of the 185, Rigos said, 24 were identified by the Municipal Health Office as medium risk and now undergoing rehabilitation treatment (6months treatment every Thursday) as out patients in the Training and Rehabilitation Center (TRC) of the Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) 51 were pushers.
He added that PNP Anda reinforced the Barangay Anti Drug Abuse Council’s rehab program with a 3-day seminar to help the police monitor and conduct intelligence monitoring on illegal drugs activities.
Mayor Aldrin Cerdan pledged to continuously support the PNP to maintain Anda as a drug free municipality.
The Anda government hired 50 personnel as regulars of the Bantay Dagat to help patrol the coastlines and guard against possible illegal drugs activities and illegal fishing.
The 18 barangays of Anda are surrounded by water.
Anda is the eighth town to be declared drug-free town in Pangasinan.
Already declared drug-free earlier were Agno, Bani, Dasol, Laoac, San Nicolas and Natividad and Alaminos City, the first drug-free city in the region. (Nora Dominguez)
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