3 Cebu City villages declared drug-cleared, got P100-K each

3 Cebu City villages declared drug-cleared, got P100-K each

CEBU CITY – With more than 30 percent of the 80 barangays in this oldest capital city in the country cleared of illegal drugs, the anti-narcotics body here vowed to double its drug-clearing effort, an official said on Wednesday.

Ernest Herrera, overseer of the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP), said the previous 22 drug-cleared villages had risen to 25 when barangays Cambinocot, Kasambagan and Zapatera were added to the list.

Herrera said the three barangays, which were recently declared as drug-cleared by the Regional Oversight Committee received PHP100,000 each as cash incentives, which they could use for their anti-drug campaign programs.

“Our barangay officials are very cooperative. That is why we have accomplished so much. For their effort, the Cebu City government will give PHP100,000 for Cambinocot, Kasambagan and Zapatera. I am urging other barangays to also follow to get the PHP100,000 incentives,” he told the Philippines News Agency (PNA).

Herrera said COSAP has been closely working with the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils, Cebu City Police Office, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in their effort to clear more villages of the drug menace.

He said the campaign against illegal drugs could only be successful with the strong participation of the community and the active involvement of barangay officials.

“We have been receiving awards every year. We have been complying with the requirements asked by the ROC,” Herrera said.

The ROC is headed by the PDEA regional director, with representatives of the DILG, PNP, Department of Health, and local government units.

Herrera noted that the city government, through his office, has been monitoring Barangay Drug Abuse Councils in all of the barangays, with emphasis on giving education and information dissemination to the youth on the ill effects of illegal drug abuse.

“We cannot do this without the barangay officials. They have a bigger role to play in clearing our barangays against drugs,” he added. (PNA)