SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union, Feb. 29 (PIA) – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Region 1 reported a major success in their anti-drug campaign, with 89.68 percent of drug-affected barangays in the Ilocos Region now declared drug-cleared as of December 2023.
 
Through the Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP), 2,592 barangays were declared drug-cleared in the region.
 
PDEA-Region 1 Regional Director Joel Plaza said it is the product of the shared effort and commitment of various law enforcement agencies, local government units, partner government agencies, and the community.
 
“Through our partners and the cooperation of our communities, we have come this far in our fight against illegal drugs,” Plaza said over the Kapihan sa Ilocos program of the Philippine Information Agency.
 
He added, “We started with 90 percent drug-affected barangays in Region 1 in 2016 and today, we were able to turn the table.”
 
A total of 1,157 drug-cleared barangays are in Pangasinan; 510 in Ilocos Sur; 468 in La Union; and 457 in Ilocos Norte.
 
Plaza said PDEA is exhausting all means to sustain the good standing of the said drug-cleared barangays in the region.
 
PDEA holds capacity-building activities like training trainers for BDCP implementers, keen monitoring of areas, and various advocacy activities to heighten public awareness of concerns about illegal drugs.
 
Plaza pledged to continue the intensified drive to clear the remaining 337 drug-affected villages in the region this 2024. (JCR/AMB/CGCC, PIA Region 1)