CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — The Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing (ROCBDC), chaired by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), evaluated the application of 17 barangays from the provinces of Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, and Bukidnon as Drug Cleared Barangays on July 17.
The ROCBDC, composed of PDEA-10 as chair, the Department of Health (DOH)-10, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-10, and the Philippine National Police (PNP)-10 as members, also evaluated applications from 53 barangays in Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte for the retention of their respective drug-cleared and drug-free statuses.
PDEA-10 Assistant Regional Director Mary Leslie Sharon D. Maquilang said, “The regional oversight committee on barangay drug clearing, or ROCBDC, is the duly authorized committee to declare, defer, retain, validate, verify, and confirm drug affectations in our barangays, municipalities, and provinces in Region 10.”
She added that the third regional oversight committee meeting deliberated on 17 barangays that applied for drug clearing, validation, and verification, while 53 barangays from the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental applied for the retention of drug-cleared drug-free status.
“The 17 applicants for drug-cleared status have passed and declared their drug-cleared status,” said Maquilang.
The drug-clearing process
The Barangay Drug Clearing Programme (BDCP) is a systematized process for determining the extent of drug affectation in every barangay in the country and declaring the same drug-cleared or drug-free through a careful process of evaluation, deliberation, and validation.
The BDCP will also declare cities, municipalities, and provinces drug-cleared or drug-free. More importantly, the BDCP guarantees appropriate intervention and reintegration into the community for people who use drugs (PWUD) and qualified pushers.
Part of the drug-clearing process includes the information rollout and the reactivation and revitalization of the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC), which focuses on strengthening the functional BADACs that are implementing the BDCP.
The BADAC also monitors individuals reported to be involved in illegal drug activities. Both PDEA and PNP will validate the list they maintain and update.
Regular house visits are also observed to inform PWUDs and pushers identified in the PDEA-PNP Certified BADAC Watch List, or CBWL, of the available appropriate intervention programs that they could readily avail of.
The goal of these intervention programs is to rehabilitate and reform them into responsible and productive community members.
The barangay then submits the application for a declaration of drug-cleared status with complete documentary requirements to qualify for the issuance of a Certificate of Drug-Cleared Barangay Status. The ROCBDC then convenes, deliberates, and declares drug-cleared status and awards the Certificate for Drug-Cleared Status.
The ROCBDC convenes to thoroughly examine and validate all documentary requirements submitted, deliberate the application of drug-cleared status in the presence of applicant BADAC, and subsequently issue the Certificate for Drug-Cleared Status.
Ferdinand Putol, chairperson of Barangay Lourdes, Alubijid, and Misamis Oriental, expressed his gratitude after the committee declared his barangay drug-declared.
According to Putol, the proliferation of drugs became more evident in their area in 2016, and it was during President Rodrigo Duterte’s time that several drug personalities surrendered in his town.
“Katong 74 ka-buok, ni-surrender sa among barangay. Kana karon sila, amo na silang gipa-eskwela, gipa-community-based rehabilitation program. Adtong June, naa mi last nga walo pa gyud nga ning-graduate. Mao to nga nag-apply mi for drug-cleared status. Gikaluy-an sa Ginoo nga among barangay na drug-cleared na gyud,” said Putol.
(The 74 individuals from our barangay have surrendered. Our barangay provides for their education through the community-based rehabilitation program. In June, we had the last eight remaining to graduate. That is when we applied for drug-cleared status. By God’s grace, our barangay is now drug-cleared.)
Barangay chairperson Putol also said that the process requires grit and patience to achieve the status of having a drug-cleared or drug-free barangay.
“Grabe gyud ka kuti, mismo among secretary kay siya man gyu’y ga follow-up didto sa station sa pulis. Magbuntag sila magbuhat sa ilaha katong mga libro, grabe gyud ka lisod ni nga proseso, para mag-drug clearing,” said Putol.
(It was very tedious; our secretary is really the one doing the coordination and follow-ups at the police station. They often finish compiling the books the next morning; drug clearing is a very difficult process.)
He continued saying that, apart from the required documents, the tedious process of locating certain PWUDs, providing interventions, monitoring, and evaluating them was worth it.
According to PDEA reports, as of March 31, there are 365 barangays in Northern Mindanao with drug affectation, 18.05 percent of the region’s 2,022 barangays.
“Hindi naman as na-declared ka na as drug cleared, hindi po masasabi na safe na sila. Dapat ipagpapatuloy pa nila ang monitoring sa ating mga drug personalities and report sa tamang office, kagaya ng sa amin sa PDEA, sa PNP para we can address those problems,” said Maquilang.
(It doesn’t mean that when they are declared drug-cleared, they are already safe. They should continue to monitor drug personalities and report to proper offices like us at PDEA and the PNP so that we can address those problems.)
The committee considers the BDCP to be the most effective platform for curbing the country’s drug problem. It encompasses a holistic and whole-of-nation approach to addressing the drug problem by enlisting the participation of local government units (LGUs), government agencies, and various stakeholders in the national anti-drug campaign. (SAYU/PIA-10)
