The drug-cleared barangays in Negros Occidental are now 81.36 percent or 489 of the 601 barangays in the province, a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency official reported on Thursday, Sept. 4.
PDEA Negros Occidental Provincial Officer Cornelio Espartero Jr., in a report during the joint Provincial Peace and Order Council and Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council meeting at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City, also said 11 out of 31 Local Government Units (LGUs) in the province are now drug-cleared.
“There are more drug free areas now although the target is to really go for 100 percent… We will continue to reach for 100 percent as other provinces have done”, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, who presided over the meeting, said.
The 11 drug cleared LGUs in Negros Occidental are Bago City, Candoni, EB Magalona, La Castellana, Manapla, Moises Padilla, Pulupandan, Silay City, Sipalay City, Valladolid and Victorias City, Espartero reported.
However, there are 112 barangays in 20 LGUs that have yet to be cleared of drugs.
The PDEA official said 52 percent of Escalante City’s barangays have yet to be cleared of drugs, followed by Calatrava with – 50 percent, San Carlos City – 50 percent, Kabankalan City – 44 percent, San Enrique – 40 percent;
Murcia – 39 percent, Binalbagan – 37.50 percent, Sagay City – 32 percent, Cadiz City – 27 percent, La Carlota City – 21 percent, Talisay City – 19 percent, Cauayan – 16 percent, Hinoba-an – 15.4 percent;
Don Salvador Benedicto – 14.3 percent, Hinigaran – 12. 5 percent, Toboso – 11 percent, Himamaylan City – 10.5 percent, Isabela – 7 percent, Ilog – 7 percent and Pontevedra – 5 percent.
In Western Visayas – Aklan, Guimaras and Antique have been declared 100 percent drug cleared, Iloilo province – 99.59 percent, Capiz – 93.45 percent, Iloilo City – 52.78 percent and Bacolod City – 34.43 percent, the PDEA report showed.
Espartero said PDEA anti-illegal drugs operations in Negros Occidental from January to August resulted in the confiscation of 153.3 grams shabu.
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office also reported having seized P27,697,699 in drugs and arrested 827 persons in the province from January to August.
Confiscated were 4,068.282 grams of shabu worth P27,664,317 and 178.872 grams of marijuana worth P33, 382.
Negros Occidental now has eight Balay Silangan Reformation Centers in Pulupandan, Hinoba-an, Don Salvador Benedicto, Cauayan, Sipalay City, Victorias City, Silay City and EB Magalona.
KABANKALAN COPS
Meanwhile, Kabankalan City has requested for additional police personnel, Lacson said.
Lacson said he instructed PCol. Rainerio M. de Chavez, Negros Occidental provincial police director, to talk to Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda.
Miranda said Kabankalan City only has 90 policemen so it is faced with a huge shortage of cops.
The governor said the lack of policemen is a problem of LGUs not only in Negros Occidental but all over the country.
But Negros Occidental remains peaceful, he said.*