THE municipality of Sto. Tomas was cited anew by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police as the lone drug-unaffected town in Pangasinan.

PDEA Provincial Officer Dexter Asayco, joined by P/Col. Ronald Gayo, provincial police director, led the awarding of certificate to the Sto. Tomas government on April 14 and to the town’s 10 barangays.

Mayor Timoteo Villar III led local officials in accepting the award. Each of the 10 barangay captains also received their recognition for keeping their respective barangays drug-free.

The awarding was given based on an evaluation and investigation by the Regional Oversight Committee.

Asayco acknowledged the effort of the local government in maintaining its drug-unaffected status since 2017 under the Duterte administration.

Only Sto. Tomas, among the 44 towns and four cities in Pangasinan, has been able to keep the drug-free legacy for more than 40 years, a status long initiated by the late mayor and former Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Antonio Villar Jr.

The campaign was continued by Villar’s wife, the late Mayor Vivien Villar and carried on by their nephew, incumbent Mayor Timoteo “Dick” Villar III.

Mayor Dick thanked all the town’s sectors for their cooperation in achieving a drug-unaffected municipality status over the years.

On Feb. 13, 2017, the provincial board through Provincial Resolution No. 167-2017 commended the municipality of Sto. Tomas, as the first drug-free community in the province during the the Duterte administration.

“The town of Sto. Tomas, being “a small but terrible community”, is one of the best way that can best describe the municipality due to its achievement as the first drug-free in the province,” the resolution said. (Eva Visperas)

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