ILOILO City – This city has moved closer to clearing all its communities of illegal drug activities, with 134 of its 180 barangays now officially declared drug-cleared after 14 more villages passed the latest government assessment and validation.
The latest additions mean nearly three-fourths of the city’s barangays have attained drug-cleared status, leaving 46 villages still working toward meeting the government’s drug-clearing requirements.
The 14 newly declared drug-cleared barangays are:
* General Hughes and Tanza Baybay in the City Proper
* Lopez Jaena Norte in La Paz district
* Balantang, Calubihan, Dungon B, Fajardo, San Vicente, Ungka and Tagbac in Jaro district
* East Timawa and Kasing-Kasing in Molo district; and
* Navais and Tabucan in Mandurriao district.
Police Colonel Wilbert Parilla, director of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), credited barangay officials and partner agencies for the gains but warned that securing drug-cleared status does not mean authorities can relax their campaign.
“A drug-cleared status is not a reason for us to become complacent. We need to continue our monitoring, vigilance and enforcement efforts to make sure that illegal drugs will not return to our communities,” Parilla said.
Under the government’s barangay drug-clearing program, a drug-cleared barangay is a community previously identified as drug-affected but has undergone assessment and validation and addressed identified drug personalities and activities based on prescribed criteria.
A drug-free barangay, meanwhile, refers to a community assessed to have no reported presence of illegal drug activities or personalities.
The latest declarations came after the final deliberation of the Regional Oversight Committee on the Barangay Drug Clearing Program on September 23, 2026.
The deliberation involved representatives of the city government, ICPO, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-6, Department of the Interior and Local Government-6, Police Regional Office-6 and Department of Health-6.
Mayor Raisa Treñas said the city government intends to sustain its coordination with barangays and law enforcement agencies as it pursues the goal of having all 180 villages cleared.
“We want every barangay in Iloilo City to be a safe community for our families, especially our children. This is not only about clearing barangays; it is about sustaining the gains and making sure our communities remain protected from illegal drugs,” Treñas said.
Nine other barangays have retained their drug-free status: Ed Ganzon, Kauswagan, Osmeña, Roxas Village, Sampaguita and San Jose in the City Proper; and Libertad Santa Isabel, Luna and San Jose in Jaro./PN
