DOZENS of barangays in Cebu are in danger of losing their status as drug-free barangays because of their failure to live up to their standards.
Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office ( Cpadao) head Ivy Durano-Meca said that 20 percent of the 245 barangays declared as drug-free were not able to sustain their status.
Meca said the office is monitoring some barangays and has given them recommendations on how to address the drug problem.
Most of the barangays that could lose the honor are those that failed to produce graduates among their drug surrenderers who were enrolled in the community-based rehabilitation program.
Among the programs that barangays should maintain are the routine drug testing of drug surrenderers, sustainable drug-prevention programs, and the non-existence of high-value targets (HVT) in the area.
The monitoring was done in three months wherein the office consolidated reports from the different government agencies like the Philippine National Police, which monitors the presence of HVTs, drug pushers or users in the barangay.
“After monitoring, we prepare a monitoring plan, which we will give to the local chief executives. We will then give them seven days to respond or report what action needs to be done,” said Durano-Meca.
Meca said a letter to every barangay captain has been prepared for them to answer why they failed to sustain the guidelines of being a drug-cleared village.
The local chief executives have seven days to submit a reply. If Cpadao will not receive a reply by then, the office will inform the Regional Oversight Committee, which is chaired by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 7.
As of now, no barangay has lost its drug-free declaration. There are also 123 barangays that are waiting to be declared as drug-free villages.
Based on Board Regulation No. 3 of the Dangerous Drugs Board regarding the drug-clearing program of the barangays, if they fail to provide a substantial amount in their budget for the anti-drug program, their annual budget may not be approved. It is also possible that the barangays will face a complaint for violation of Section 60 of the Local Government Code or Section 32 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
There are 1,066 barangays in the province. There are also 46,088 surrenders in Cebu since 2016. (From HBL of SuperBalita Cebu)