All 56 Camotes barangays now drug-cleared

CEBU, Philippines — All the 56 barangays in the Camotes Group of Islands in northern Cebu are now drug-cleared.

The island group is composed of four towns namely Tudela, Pilar, Poro, and San Francisco.

Some of the barangays were already declared drug-cleared in 2017.

Pilar town was the first LGU in the island to have all of its barangays cleared from drugs.

San Francisco Mayor Aly Arquillano said the next challenge for his town is to sustain their drug-cleared status.

“Monitoring gyud sa atong mga barangay ilabina sa atong mga tourists area gyud,” he said.

The Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office (CPADAO) has stated in the past that a barangay’s drug-cleared status can be revoked if the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) fails to address the resurgence of an illegal drug-related issue in the barangay within 30 days.

Aside from the Camotes barangays, all the 27 barangays in San Remigio town are also drug-cleared now.

“Naka-organize na mi sa among BADAC. Karon nag-organize mi sa among purok (PADAC),” said San Remigio Mayor Mariano Martinez.

He stressed the importance of empowering those at the grassroots level, like the purok, to help the government stop the proliferation of illegal drugs.

Yesterday, the Oversight Committee proclaimed a total of 60 new drug-cleared barangays - 18 in Borbon, 17 in Tabogon, nine in Alegria, four in Oslob and another four in San Francisco, three in Medellin, two in Samboan, and one each in San Remigio, Sogod, and City of Naga.

This brings the number of drug-cleared villages from 185 to 245 or 22.98 percent of the 1,066 barangays in Cebu Province.

CPADAO Chief Carmen Ivy Remedios Durano-Meca said the new leaders of barangays that were already declared drug-cleared will be the priority trainees of their office.

This is to ensure that they can sustain the status regardless of who is sitting in the elective positions. — MBG (FREEMAN)