Laoag City barangay reverts to drug-affected status

 

By Dominic B. dela Cruz (Staff Reporter)

Laoag City—The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) reverted Brgy. 55 Barit-Pandan as drug-affected after the joint provincial intelligence workshop in which two drug personalities were identified to be residents of the said barangay, thereby affecting its “drug-free” status.

Laoag City Local Government Operations Officer Janet Duarte made the announcement which she said was based on a DDB resolution declaring Brgy. Barit as “drug-affected” barangay.

Ms. Duarte said RA 9165 [Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002] mandates the government to pursue intensified and unrelenting campaign against illegal drugs and shall endeavor to secure the assistance of the local government units in drug operations.

The DDB was created as the policy making and strategy formulating body in the planning and formulation of policies and programs on drug prevention and control.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was likewise created for an efficient and effective law enforcement of all the provisions on any dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals and to initiate and undertake a national campaign for drug prevention and control programs.

The Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP) is the main framework of the committee’s Anti-Illegal Drugs which may enlist the assistance of public and private agencies including the LGUs in a balanced, holistic, unified, synchronized and integrated approaches of supply and demand reduction strategies in addressing the drug menace at the barangay level.

Ms. Duarte noted that the oversight committee is responsible in declaring a barangay as “drug-unaffected” after satisfying all the parameters of “drug-unaffected barangay”.

Therefore, to ensure the sustainability of the program and status of unaffected barangays, the oversight committee conducts regular monitoring of anti-drug initiatives of the LGUs and conducts quarterly evaluation on the status of rug cleared and drug unaffected to ensure that the same is still drug free.

As a result of the evaluation, the committee found that Brgy. 55 Barit-Pandan has two identified drug personalities that affected its “drug-free” status.

Of the city’s 80 barangays, the city DILG records show that Laoag City has now a total of 30 “drug-cleared” barangays and three “un-affected barangays” as of press time.