Bogo is now ‘drug-free,’ the first to get such feat

Forty more barangays from Bogo City and San Remegio town were declared “drug-free” yesterday.

The province’s oversight committee cleared 11 barangays from San Remegio and 29 from Bogo City from illegal drugs.

Governor Hilario Davide III and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-7 Director Yogi Felimon Ruiz, who heads the oversight committee, spearheaded the declaration activity yesterday at the Capitol.

Clearing the 29 barangays in Bogo made the city as the first local government unit (LGU) that was declared as drugcleared in Central Visayas. This is the second in the country.

Bogo Mayor Carlo Jose Martinez said the achievement of these barangays was in the coordination with the city and barangay officials through technical and logistic assistance of the city to the barangays in complying with the requirements set for drug clearing.

He said one of the challenges they faced was to make their constituents understand their roles in their campaign against illegal drugs and how they perform their individual roles.

To sustain their title as drug-cleared city, Martinez said they are making programs that will help them in their continued fight against illegal drugs.

“Part of our program (ang) pag-porma sa rehabilitation and integration program. This way we were able to make them, amo na sila gihimo nga drug warriors. Sila na ang monaog didto sa barangay and explain unsay cause sa paggamit sa illegal nga drugs,” Martinez said.

The 29 Bogo City barangays are Cogon, Odlot, Binabag, La Paz, Siocon, Guadalupe, Cayang, Anonang Norte, Banban, Manangoy, Dakit, San Pedro, Anonang Sur, San Vicente, Libertad, Polambato, La Purisima Concepcion, Sudlongan, Bungtod, Carbon, Gairan, Lourdes, Malingin, Pandan, Nailon, Santo Niño, Sto. Rosario, Taytayan, and Sambag.

The 11 barangays in San Remigio Tambongon, Batad, Gawaygaway, Toong, Lambusan, Busogon, Bancasan, Argawanon, Maño, Libaong, and Canagahan.

Davide, in his speech, said that the achievement of these barangays is the achievement of the province as a whole.

“Kining inyong kalampusan, kalampusan usab sa probinsya sa Sugbu,” he said.

Cebu Provincial AntiDrug Abuse Office Chief Carmen Remedios DuranoMeca, in her speech, that the declaration of drugclear status should inspire the other barangays to work harder so that more, if not all, barangays in the province may also be cleared of the drug problem and be given the seal of distinction of drugcleared status.

“The declaration of drug-cleared status does not mean the responsibility is finished”, she added, pointing out the importance of maintaining the title of the said Barangays.

To the doubters, Martinez said they are welcome to come to their city and assess the situation themselves.

“They can come to the city of Bogo. They can visit. They can look around, then they will see for themselves. Lisod man gud nga moingon ko nga wala na gyud, but it’s better to see it themselves gyud,” Martinez said.

A barangay can only be declared as drugcleared if it complies with the parameters set by the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), such as establishing a Barangay Anti-drug Abuse Council (BADAC) and that there should be no presence of drug pusher and user in the said area.

Based on the DDB guidelines, the oversight committee, composed of the Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, Department of Health, PDEA and the LGU, will validate the barangays and authorize to declare a barangay as drug-cleared.

Last April, the oversight committee first declared 120 barangays in the province that are cleared from drugs.