New “cleared” Cebu brgys can’t be named yet

CEBU, Philippines — No additional Cebu barangays can be proclaimed as drug-free until a new regional director takes over at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency - 7.

Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office Head Ivy Durano-Meca made this declaration after her office met with Municipal Anti-Drug Abuse Committee (MADAC) and Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Committee (BADAC) focal persons from 50 local government units of Cebu yesterday to discuss how to strengthen their anti-drug clearing operations.

"Wala gyud miy ma-declare na bag-o. Wala pa gyud tay oversight committee in the absence of the Regional Director of PDEA," she said.

All Cebu province MADACs and BADACs have already been activated but some still needs guidance, particularly on how to run their operations especially in setting up a community-based treatment (CBT) program for drug surrenderees.

"The purpose for the said coordination meeting is to strengthen MADAC and BADAC sa drug clearing operations," Meca said.

Municipalities like San Remigio, Sogod, and Argao already have “graduates” of their four-month long CBTs who numbered 30 to 60 percent of the total number of drug surrenderees.

Meca, though, said that there were also those who have not sustained their drug-clearing program, so her office called the focal persons.

So far, there are almost 200 drug-cleared barangays from all over Cebu province. She said they gave the focal persons per committee the responsibility to do the task.

"We are continuing with the monitoring of all the barangays and we are (proceeding) with the validation," Meca said.

Meanwhile, Meca said they would begin next month the drug testing for all public school teachers.

"We have schedules already," Meca remarked. (FREEMAN)