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[av_heading heading=’134 villages in Iloilo, Antique may be declared drug-cleared’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY IME SORNITO
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Wednesday, February 28, 2018
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ILOILO City – One hundred thirty-four barangays in Iloilo and Antique provinces may soon be declared drug-cleared by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6.
“This February we are going to deliberate the status of these barangays,” said Regional Director Wardley Getalla.
Although these barangays have “presence ng drug users”, Getalla said, most of them are considered “slightly affected.”
The formal declaration may be made by the end of March, said Getalla.
Included in the target barangays are those from the Iloilo towns of Alimodian (51), Bingawan (14), Cabatuan (22), Maasin (15), and Mina (16).
Among the target barangays in Antique are 16 in the municipality of San Remigio.
“The police are validating the barangays one by one para maibigigay talaga natin ‘yung totoong declaration na drug-cleared, hindi ‘yung kini-question tayo,” said Getalla.
The director, however, clarified that declaring a barangay drug-cleared would not be the end of PDEA’s or the barangay councils’ work.
Each drug-cleared barangay would be reevaluated after three months.
“Pag may bumalik na drug pusher o drug user sa barangay,” said Getalla, the suspect must be arrested within a month for the village to maintain its drug-cleared status.
If not, the concerned barangay would lose such status, he stressed.
PDEA-6 hopes to declare between a hundred to 140 barangays drug-cleared each month this year.
Western Visayas has a total of 4,051 barangays spread out in six provinces (Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental), 16 cities and 117 municipalities./PN
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