BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said 3,328 of 4,051 barangays in the whole of Western Visayas, which is equivalent to 82 percent, are already drug-cleared.
Barangays Batea and Pasil in EB Magalona, and Sebucauan in Isabela, Negros Occidental, were recently added to the 26 Western Visayas barangays declared as drug-cleared, PDEA spokesperson Ma. Graziella Tanaleon said.
Of the 3,328 drug-cleared barangays, 237 are in Negros Occidental and 12 in Bacolod City.
Negros Occidental has 601 barangays, with 39.43 percent drug cleared, while 19.67 percent of the 61 barangays of Bacolod City have also been declared drug-cleared by the PDEA Regional Oversight Committee. PDEA 6 records show that 86 of the 180 Iloilo City barangays, and 1,640 of the 1,721 Iloilo province barangays have also been declared drug-cleared, while 119 barangays of Capiz province are yet to be cleared of the prohibited illegal drugs. The province of Guimaras only needs to clear eight barangays, Aklan – 4, and Antique – 4, the report added.*
