Only 13 of the 61 barangays in Bacolod City are free from drugs, a report from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-6 showed.
The report said 86.71 percent of the villages in the region, or 2,186 of its 4,051 barangays, are already cleared from drugs.
Aklan posted the highest number of drug-cleared barangays in the region with 100 percent followed by Antique with 99.32 percent, Iloilo province with 97.21 percent, Guimaras with 95.91 percent, and Capiz with 89.21 percent.
Negros Occidental has 51.58 percent drug-cleared barangays, or 297 of its 601 villages.
The figure also showed that only 10 barangays in the province were unaffected by drugs.
Meanwhile, the two highly-urbanized cities in the region – Iloilo and Bacolod – posted the lowest number of drug-free barangays with 48.88 percent and 21.31 percent, respectively.
Lt. Col. Sherlock Gabana, spokesperson of Bacolod City Police Office, said it was a challenge for the local police to declare barangays as drug-free since pushers tend to change addresses, especially if they feel they are being monitored.
A village can only be declared drug-cleared if the users and surrenders have undergone rehabilitation, he added.
He said the BCPO is targeting to clear more barangays from drugs this year.*