103 barangays declared drug-free in Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — At least 103 barangays in the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur have been cleared and declared as drug-free, according to Police Regional Office 9 (PRO) director Chief Superintendent Billy Beltran.

Beltran said the Regional Oversight Committee (ROC) made the announcement Thursday after 103 villages have met the parameters set by the Dangerous Drug Board as provided under its regulation no. 3 series of 2017, otherwise known as the “Strengthening the Implementation of the Barangay Drug-Clearing Program.”

Beltran, who is the vice chair of the oversight committee, said Zamboanga Sibugay Gov. Wilter Palma through his representative Dennis Baguio, proclaimed Thursday the clearance for 34 barangays as drug-free and cleared villages.

Among the towns of Zamboanga Sibugay with drug-free barangays include Tungawan (11 barangays), Titay (2 barangays), Buug (6 barangays), Diplahan (3 barangays), Imelda (6 barangays), Naga (2 barangays), Siay (2 barangays) and Oluntanga (3 barangays).

He said 69 barangays in Zamboanga del Sur were also declared as drug-free during the ceremonial declaration program held at Bayog, Lakewood, Tigbao, Dumalinao and Josefina, with Gov. Antonio Cerilles as guest of honor earlier this week.

The drug-cleared barangays in the towns of Zamboanga del Sur include Bayog (5 barangays), Lakewood (12 barangays), Tigbao (17 barangays), Dumalinao (16 barangays), Josefina (14 barangays) and Labangan (5 barangays). 

Laurefel Gabales, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency regional director and regional chairman of the ROC, said the drug-cleared barangays would be reevaluated. 

Gabales said that if the committee finds the presence of drug users and traffickers in the area, the ROC would recall the declaration and remove its status as drug-free barangay.

Besides non-availability of illegal drugs, other parameters used in declaring a barangay drug-free include the absence of the following: illegal drug transshipment activity, clandestine illegal drug laboratory, clandestine illegal drug warehouse, clandestine illegal chemical warehouse, marijuana cultivation site, drug den, drug pushers, drug users or dependents, protectors, coddlers and financiers.