More than half of city barangays now ‘drug-free’

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas on Tuesday confirmed that four barangays have been officially cleared of illegal drugs during the 36th official Regional Oversight Committee meeting, raising the number of drug-free barangays to 92, or 51.1 percent of the 180 barangays in the city.

The new “drug-free” barangays include San Pedro in Jaro district, Magdalo in La Paz district, Rizal Lapuz Sur in Lapuz district, and Villa Anita in City Proper.

Treñas told Daily Guardian that he was “very happy”, that this was out of the collaborative efforts between national, city, and barangay government officials.

He shared that the City Health and City Planning and Development offices were key to documenting the city’s program against drugs.

“One observation was that they were lacking in documentation, so I placed the City Health Office in the person of Dr. [Rebecca] Gregorios, as well as the City Planning and Development Office. For some barangays, they lacked documentation that is why they haven’t been cleared yet,” the mayor said.

“We talk to the barangay officials, the Philippine National Police, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency regularly through meetings. We talk about what they need so we could prepare. I think it was very important that we would meet regularly so we could work out requirements,” he added.

Treñas said that their main challenge moving forward for the city’s drug problem was consistency especially with their local, regional, and national coordination.

He added that it would be easier for them to help out the remaining 88 barangays which had not yet been cleared.

“I think calling for the Iloilo City Anti-Drug Abuse Council is one of the things that made it better for us. [Liga ng mga Barangay President] Irene Ong was also a great help for all of us to understand the problem and recognize the need,” he said.

“The 88 barangays which have not yet been cleared, it is now easier for us, and we will just focus on them. It would not be that difficult for us anymore. We will identify the needs for each one of them, and it would be easier for us to provide. As soon as we can do that, it would be much easier for us to clear them [of illegal drugs],” he said.

Barangays which have been considered drug free since 2018 per records from the city government include:

• Arevalo District

1. Quezon
2. San Jose
3. Mohon
4. Filomena
5. Cruz

• City Proper District

1. Sampaguita
2. Ed Ganzon
3. Roxas Village
4. San Jose
5. Arsenal Aduana
6. Inday
7. Nonoy
8. Rima-Rizal
9. Rosario
10. Tanza Timawa I
11. Tanza Timawa II
12. Yulo Arroyo
13. Danao
14. Flores
15. Gloria
16. Hipodromo
17. Kahirupan
18. Kauswagan
19. Legaspi dela Rama
20. Magsaysay
21. Maria Clara
22. Ortiz
23. Osmeña
24. President Roxas
25. Rizal Ibarra
26. Veterans Village
27. San Felix
28. Tanza Bonifacio
29. Liberation
30. San Agustin
31. Mabolo Delgado
32. Monica Blumentrit
33. Villa Anita

• Jaro

1. Libertad San Isabel
2. Luna
3. Javellana
4. Democracia
5. El 98
6. Lopez Jaena
7. Our Lady Of Fatima
8. Our Lady Of Lourdes
9. San Jose
10. San Roque
11. Seminario
12. Arguelles
13. Buhang
14. Buntatala
15. Dungon A
16. Montinola
17. MV Hechanova
18. MH Del Pilar
19. Benedicto
20. San Pedro

• La Paz

1. Banuyao
2. Aguinaldo
3. Lopez Jaena Sur
4. Bantud
5. Burgos
6. Hinactacan
7. Luna
8. McArthur
9. Magdalo (3/29/22)

• Lapuz

1. Loboc
2. Punong
3. Libertad
4. Jalandoni Estate
5. Rizal Lapuz Sur

• Mandurriao

1. Calahunan
2. Dungon C
3. Guzman-Jesena
4. Pali
5. San Rafael
6. PHHC 17
7. PHHC 22
8. Santa Rosa
9. Taft North

• Molo

1. Avanceña
2. Poblacion
3. San Antonio
4. South Fundidor
5. Taal
6. Cochero
7. Infante
8. North Fundidor
9. San Pedro
10. Tap-oc
11. North San Jose