18 more barangays declared drug-free

Eighteen additional barangays have been declared drug-cleared by the inter-agency oversight committee, bringing the total drugfree barangays in Cebu province to 178.

The newly cleared barangays include 13 from Pilar town on Camotes Islands — Biasong, Cawit, Dapdap, Esperanza, Imelda, Lanao, Lower Poblacion, Moabog, Montserrat, San Isidro, San Juan, Upper Poblacion, and Villahermosa. Barangays Cambubho, Licos, and Nangka in Danao City; Mayana in Naga City; and Himensulan in San Francisco, Camotes.

The members of the Oversight Committee composed of the representatives from Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office (CPADAO), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Health (DOH), and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) made the declaration yesterday.

The additional drug-cleared barangays were part of the 38 endorsed for the committee's approval. CPADAO chief Carmen Ivy Durano-Meca said that the other barangays need to work more on their community-based rehabilitation programs (CBRP) to get the committee's approval.

PDEA spokesperson Leia Albiar explained that while all the 38 barangays endorsed for drug-cleared declaration have its own rehabilitation program, they still do not meet the standards of the DOH.

“Ang CBRP kay mao mana na ang mo-monitor sa mga surrenderers , following sa standards maong wala lang sa gi-go but dili ingon nga dili na gyud ni sila ma-declare basta matrabaho lang gyud ang CBRP sa next batch kay maapil na sila og balik,” Albiar said.

“Naa lay mga kuwang nga activities ba dili man puwede nga puro ra physical activities, dapat holistic ang approach dapat naay spiritual, free lapse prevention, counseling…,” she added.

She assured that all pending applications will be included in the next deliberations by the members of the oversight committee within this month.

Albiar said that CPDAO will also endorse another 35 barangays within this week to be declared drug-cleared. These include 18 from Tabogon; seven from Oslob; five from San Francisco, Camotes; one from Naga City; and three from Samboan.

“So, mahimo na siya nga 55 barangays sa sunod deliberation and naay posibilidad nga aduna na usab kita'y ma-declare as drug cleared barangays nga additional. Basta matrabaho ug mahan-ay sa katong 20 ang ilang CBTP kay isa man gud na sa requirement nato para ma-endorsed sila as barangay drug cleared,” Albiar said.

Cebu province has a total of 1,066 barangays.

Meanwhile, two Cebu City Health employees were tested positive of illegal drug use during a recent random drug test conducted by the City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP). There were 114 city health employees and 38 from the City Registrar's Office were subjected to the test Thursday.

COSAP head Garry Lao said those tested positive will be subjected to confirmatory test.

Lao said there will be another round of test soon because not all employees were tested last Thursday.