Region 7 in 3rd spot of most number of drug-affected brgys.

Central Visayas ranked third in the nationwide barangay drug affectation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7.

The agency and the Philippine National Police (PNP), however, assured the public that they are working double time to declare more barangays in the region drug-free.

PDEA 7 Director III Emerson Margate said that 2,629 barangays (87.55 percent) out of the 3,003 barangays in the region are affected by drugs.

“But we are expecting these figures to change because we have a thousand more, which are up for review if they (barangays) are indeed drug-free,” he said.

Zamboanga Peninsula (96.17 percent) has the most barangays affected by drugs followed by the National Capital Region (95.37 percent).

On his visit last Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte directed authorities in Central Visayas to step up the government’s war on illegal drugs.

“We want to realize this administration’s goal to declare all barangays as drug-free before the President steps down. That’s our time frame,” Margate said.

So far, Margate said they have declared 191 barangays in the region as drug-free.

“We need to review 500 barangays in Bohol, 100 in Cebu Province and some in Negros Oriental because we just can’t declare them as drug-free because there needs to be proper validation,” he added.

Margate admitted that even though they conduct numerous arrests, a holistic approach should be done on the government’s war on drugs that include the rehabilitation of drug surrenderers.

Sought for comment about the region’s ranking, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Joel Doria said they are already coordinating with the ports in the city, considering that it is often the entryway of illegal drugs.

“We also exchange information with the police in the province. There are personalities who once operated in our city but with our continuous conduct of Oplan Pokemon, which greatly helped in our campaign in illegal drugs, they fled that’s why we only arrest a few drug personalities now,” he said. /