PDEA: Over 1K barangays drug-cleared
THERE are already 1,065 barangays, out of 1,272 barangays in Pangasinan that have been declared drug-cleared, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
The updated figure was bared by PDEA Pangasinan provincial officer Retchie Camacho after 16 barangays from the town of Umingan, Sual, San Fabian and Dagupan City were recently declared drug cleared.
He said all the newly cleared barangays underwent an series of evaluations and monitoring.
Meanwhile, Camacho said 207 remaining barangays that were identified as drug-affected areas in Pangasinan, undergoing assessments.
He said PDEA aims to clear all barangays in the province from illegal drugs before President Rodrigo Duterte ends his term next year.
Camacho said the validation process includes the scrutiny by the provincial and regional barangay drug clearing team before the Regional Oversight Committee declares a certain area as drug-cleared.
One criteria that many barangays fail to meet today to be declared as drug-cleared is the absence of “Balay Silangan,” a place where pushers are rehabilitated.
He clarified, however, that some towns could not offer any location because the supposed facilities to be turned into Balay Silangan were used as COVID-19 facilities.
The LGUs are already being encouraged to work on re-establishing a “Balay Silangan” since COVID-19 cases are on the decline and a reduction in the volume of supply of illegal drugs in the province amid the pandemic has been noted.
PDEA is currently closely monitoring the impact of easing the border requirements to the illegal drugs trading in the province. (Jerick Pasiliao)
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