6 brgys. declared drug-free by mayor linked to the trade

Daanbantayan Mayor Vicente Loot conferred drug-cleared statuses to six barangays last Thursday.

The barangays were identified as Carnaza, Calape, Dalingding, Tinubdan, Tominjao and Logon.

Last year, President Rodrigo Duterte named Loot as a drug protector along with retired police general and former Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 director Marcelo Garbo, and other police officials.

Loot has denied the allegations, and no charges were filed against him.

The drug-cleared statuses of the six barangays still have to be validated by the Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7, which is the lead agency of barangay drug-clearing operations.

PRO 7 Director Noli Taliño said PDEA heads the oversight committee on the drug-clearing process.

When asked if Loot’s declaration is valid, Taliño said a barangay must secure a certification from the oversight committee.

The confirmation of the six barangays’ “drug-free” status was based on the recommendation of their respective Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council.

“Our target is to clear the municipality (of drugs),” said Daanbantayan Police Station Chief Irish Dilem.

In the past 12 months, 1,557 drug personalities in the town surrendered during Oplan Tokhang.

Delim said more than 90 of them are self-confessed pushers.

Based on parameters set by the Dangerous Drugs Board, a community is considered drugfree if drugs are no longer available there; it isn’t being used as a drug transit or transshipment point; it has no illegal drug laboratory, chemical drug warehouse, or a marijuana cultivation site; and it has no resorts or other places being used as drug dens. Absence of drug pushers, drug users or dependents, as well as protectors or coddlers and financiers, are other factors. /