By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported that a total of 240 out of 662 villages in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City were declared drug-cleared this year.
Investigation Agent V Nicolas Gomez, PDEA-Negros Occidental head, told Daily Guardian that 21 barangays in the province and two others here recently passed the last deliberation of applicants for a drug-free status this year.
These villages were among the 228 barangays in the province that are now drug-free, according to Gomez.
The recent drug-cleared villages in the province were Bagacay, Cabungahan, Cambayobo, and Winaswasan in Calatrava town; Tambad and Tomina in Cauayan town; Bago, Bagong Silang, and Pinoyawan in Don Salvador Benedicto town; Canlusong in E.B. Magalona town; Cabcab in Isabela town; Cabagna-an and Sag-ang in La Castellana town; 1-B, 2, and 2-A in Manapla town; Nataban in San Carlos City; Gil Montilla in Sipalay City; Katilingban in Talisay City; Lacaron in Valladolid town; and 15 in Victorias City.
Gomez said that Barangays 11 and 25 here were also declared drug-cleared, bringing to 12 the number of drug-free villages in Bacolod.
Gomez added that re-evaluation will be conducted next year to check if these villages maintained their status.
At present, 373 villages in the province and 49 barangays here are not yet cleared from the influence of illegal drugs.
The last deliberation was conducted here early this week.
