Drug-cleared Apalit eyed before 2020

POLICE and the local government of Apalit aim to totally stamp out illegal drugs in communities and make the whole municipality drug-cleared before the opening of 2020.

Mayor Oscar Tetangco Jr. said eight out of the 12 villages in Apalit were already declared drug-cleared by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

These include Barangays Balucuc, Cansinala, Colgante, Paligui, Sampaloc, San Juan, Sulipan and Tabuyuc.

Barangay Calantipe, meanwhile, is among the 21,164 villages nationwide that were not plagued by the illegal drug menace.

The remaining drug-affected villages -- San Vicente (the largest barangay and considered the town's business capital) Sucad and Cansinala -- are eyed to be drug-cleared by the yearend.

"A strong partnership between the local government including our barangays and the local police is essential to attain our goal of making our town drug-cleared this year and prove that kami sa Apalit, ayaw namin sa adik," Tetangco said.

Tetangco, whose administration carries the slogan "Apalit Ayaw sa Adik," is a known advocate against illegal drugs way before President Rodrigo Duterte launched the war on drugs in the country in 2016.

This town's chief of police Lieutenant Colonel Elmer Decena, for his part, said that aside from the pertinent documents needed, they are also in the process of finishing the reformation of the surrenderers in town.

He said at least 70 percent of the total 1,300 drug surrenderers -- 300 of which are from Barangay San Vicente -- were already rehabilitated under community-based reformation centers.

"We have partnered with the barangay leaders, religious sector and non-government organizations for a community-based rehabilitation centers because if we will rely sole on the town's Bahay Pagbabago, it will take us years to formally cleanse Apalit from illegal drugs," he said.

Decena also said that the local police are still going after some 20 watch-listed drug personalities in town who have yet to surrender to authorities.

He urged them to voluntarily turn themselves in and be included in the reformation program instead of insisting on their illegal activities and be subject of police operations.

"Surrender yourselves to us and you will reformed. If you will not, you are putting your and your family's lives in danger because we will never stop going after you," he said.