CV ranked 3rd with most drug affected barangays
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 admitted that Central Visayas is among the three regions in the country with highest number of barangays affected by illegal drugs.
PDEA-7 Director Emerson Margate said that out of 3,003 barangays in the region, there were 2,629 affected by illegal drugs or 87.55 percent. The region ranked third next to National Capital Region and Zamboanga Pininsula or Region 9 which ranked second and first, respectively.
Zamboanga Pininsula has 96.17 percent level of affectation with 1,831 out of 1,904 barangays. NCR, on the other hand, has 1,627 barangays affecfted out of the 1,706 total barangays.
“Ibig sabihin nito ay sa affectation kung may isang user sa barangay n’yo ay affected ang buong barangay iyon ‘yong basis ng ating president,” said Margate, explaining President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement labelling Cebu as hotbed of illegal drugs.
Margate said they are now intensifying and strengthening the barangay drug clearing operations in the entire region in coordination with the local government units and other agencies.
“Ang nakikita kong gustong ipaabot ni President Duterte is kailangan talaga natin dito ang barangay drug program na talagang ma-implement ito sa barangay level. Kasi although we have that effort, huli tayo ng huli mayroon tayong mga program at hindi natin natutukan ang mga surrenderers natin we will continue being affected,” Margate said.
Since 2016 up to present, Central Visayas already has 191 barangays declared as drug cleared. He said 160 of which are from Cebu while the rest are from Negros Oriental.
He said that there are still about 1, 000 barangays from Bohol, Negros and Cebu Province that are waiting for validation by the Regional oversight committee composed of the PDEA, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, and Department of Health.
The regional oversight committee for barangay drug clearing operations was created last year in lieu of the municipal oversight committee.
“Holistic po iyong approach natin sa drug clearing… for validation kasi hindi naman basta-basta na nadi-declare without proper validation mula sa mga different agencies na expert doon sa drug clearing,” Margate said.
Margate said they are doing their best to be able to clear all affected barangays in Central Visayas before Duterte steps down from office 2022. He said they are targeting to clear at least 800 barangays every year until 2022.
“I believe kaya naman ito. Kayang kaya naman, kailangan lang trabahuin. Hindi lang naman kami, dapat talaga lahat. Again, bar an gay drug clearing program is an interagency effort,” said Margate.
He said they also continue hunting barangay officials involved in illegal drugs.
CEBU CITY
Meanwhile, Cebu City Police Office director Senior Superintendent Joel Doria said they will continue to work on intelligence gathering to address the drug problem in the barangays.
Doria said that they exchange information from their counterparts in the province on drug personalities from Cebu City operating in the province.
He said that due to the intensified operations against all forms of dangerous drugs in the city, drug personalities have fled the city to look for safer grounds to continue their illegal drug trade.
“May mga measures na in place which will be implemented. We are on the watch out of people not from Cebu and other identified personalities na nag-alisan. Dito kasi nakita nila na medyo hindi sila safe, because of our campaign against illegal drugs. Target continuously monitored, and coordinate with concerned units, kung saang area,” Doria said.
Doria added that they will not be complacent in securing the city as they continue to monitor the ports and other “vulnerable” points of entry, since Cebu considered as transshipment point for illegal drugs.
“Dito sa Cebu City pinakita naman natin, yung accomplishment so far patuloy nating kino-coordinate yung sa ating mga ports, considering na yan ang means ng pagpasok, so may mga prior coordination na tayo, pina-follow up natin,” Doria said.