THE Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Negros Occidental are now validating the eight drug-affected barangays in Bacolod City.

The said barangays were named by drug suspect Ricky Serenio as affected by illegal drugs.

This was revealed by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, who led the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cadac) meeting in Bacolod City on Friday, February 1, at the Bacolod Government Center.

The meeting was attended by members of Cadac, the BCPO, PDEA, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Department of the Interior and Local Government, National Bureau of Investigation, Prosecutor’s Office, among others.

“It was a very damaging statement and the barangay officials cannot file a case against him (Serenio) because he did not mention the names of the barangay captains, except one barangay captain,” he added.

After that statement, Familiaran said the barangay officials are also concerned of their families as well as their safety.

He said the barangay captain who was named by Serenio in a radio interview can file a libel case against him.

Familiaran noted that the statement of Serenio is not clear if the barangay officials are involved in illegal drugs or there’s an existence of illegal drugs within their barangays.

“Let us all be responsible in giving information because we have families who will be affected on it,” Familiaran said. (MAP)