By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
November 1, 2019
MANILA -- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday
reported that 14,922 out of 42,045 barangays in the country are declared
cleared from illegal drugs from July 2016 to September 2019 under the Duterte
administration's continuing anti-illegal drugs campaign.
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| PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino. (File photo |
PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said these barangays have
reached drug-cleared status after receiving a certification by members of the
Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug-Clearing Program.
The Oversight Committee, chaired by PDEA, is composed of provincial
representatives of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG),
the Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Health (DOH) and local
government units.
Before declaring that a barangay is free from illegal drug
activities, the committee must convene and validate the non-availability of
drug supply in the area and the absence of drug transit activity, clandestine
drug laboratory and chemical warehouse, marijuana cultivation site, drug den,
drug pusher and user.
“Once cleared, we monitor newly-declared drug-free barangays to
ensure that they will maintain their status. All our efforts will go to waste
if we allow the resurgence of illegal drug activities in these areas,” Aquino
said.
Aquino said PDEA aims to clear 18,712 drug-affected barangays by
2022.
Aquino said that these barangays represent 44.5 percent out of
42,045 barangays in the country that are still plagued by the drug menace. Out
of the 18,712 drug-affected barangays, 7,817 are classified as slightly
affected, 10,616 are moderately affected, while 279 barangays are seriously
affected.
“PDEA intends to sustain the pace of clearing an average of 6,200
drug-affected barangays every year or 520 barangays every month, for the next
three years. The mission of ridding the country’s drug problem by 2022 would be
a reality,” Aquino said.
There are three basic parameters in determining barangay
drug-affectation: slightly affected, moderately affected, and seriously
affected. Barangays are considered slightly affected if there is a reported
presence of drug user/s; moderately affected if there is a reported presence of
drug pusher/s and/or user/s; and seriously affected if there is a reported
presence of any of the following: clandestine drug laboratory, warehouse,
marijuana plantation, drug den/tiangge, drug trafficking or smuggling
activities, and drug personalities such as users, pushers, financiers,
protectors, cultivators, manufacturers and others.
The National Capital Region (NCR) has the highest rate of barangay
drug-affectation with 72.7 percent, followed by Region 7 (Central Visayas) at
72.4 percent; Region 5 (Bicol Region) at 68.9 percent; Region 3 (Central Luzon)
at 63.6 percent; and Region 4-A (CALABARZON) at 55.7 percent. The regions least
affected by illegal drugs are Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) at 7.2
percent; Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) at 17.5 percent; and Region 13 (Caraga
Region) at 17.7 percent.
Integrated approach
To accelerate efforts against the proliferation of illegal drugs
in drug-affected barangays, the government has adopted an integrated approach
in securing the assistance of the local government units in drug-clearing
operations pursuant to Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No. 3 Series of
2017, otherwise known as “Strengthening the Implementation of the Barangay
Drug-Clearing Program”, which includes the activation of Barangay Anti-Drug
Abuse Councils (BADACs) in the communities.
For its part, PDEA, as the lead agency against illegal drugs,
adopted a three-pronged strategy in the national anti-drug campaign: Supply
Reduction, Demand Reduction, and Harm Reduction.
Besides the traditional drug supply and drug demand reduction
strategy of the government, PDEA integrated into the campaign a harm-reduction
approach to soften the social and economic impact of the drug problem by
implementing programs that reduce harms associated with illegal drugs.
To prevent or end drug dependency, PDEA is implementing
harm-reduction efforts such as: “Balay Silangan”, a community-based reformation
program for surrendering drug offenders; Project: “Sagip Batang Solvent”, to
rescue street children, particularly those hooked on solvent-sniffing; drug
test of public transport drivers nationwide, to ensure road safety; and
“Drug-Free Workplace Program”, to promote a working environment free from the
influence of dangerous drugs in business establishments.
“We are gaining ground in freeing every barangay in the country.
PDEA will carry on with its aggressive supply reduction operations, and
holistic approaches to prevent people from wanting and taking illegal drugs,
while offering interventions, thus saving the lives of drug users and
surrendering drug pushers,” the PDEA chief said. (PNA)
