3 city barangays out of seriously drug-affected list
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) announced that three of city barangays are no longer included in the list of seriously drug-affected areas.
PDEA regional director Paul Ledesma said that their validation done on the last quarter of 2009 revealed that barangays San Juan and West Habog-Habog in Molo district and Simon Ledesma in Jaro district are no longer seriously affected by drug activities.
They were downgraded to moderately-affected drug areas in Iloilo City, Ledesma said.
In downgrading the category of the said barangays, the PDEA regional chief reasoned that they have not received reports that a drug den is maintained in the area.
Also, “there are personalities who are into drug trade but there is no drug group based on the said barangays,” he added.
Despite the said development, Ledesma noted that all of 180 barangays in Iloilo City remain drug-affected.
PDEA records revealed that there are now 6 of the 180 barangays considered seriously affected; 21 are moderately affected; and 153 are slightly affected.
Ledesma identified the remaining seriously-affected barangays as Veterans Village, Tanza Esperanza, and Malipayon in City Proper district; Boulevard in Molo district; Desamparados in Jaro; and Bakhaw in Mandurriao.
He noted that the presence of drug den and several pushers would make an area seriously-affected.
On the other hand, even a single drug user is already enough for a barangay to be considered as slightly affected.
“And who could claim their barangay has no user?” Ledesma quipped.
Meanwhile, of the 4,050 barangays in Western Visayas, 430 are deemed affected.
Iloilo City topped the list with 180.
Iloilo province followed with 111 of its 1721 barangays as drug affected.
Negros Occidental has 68 of its 600 barangays; Capis has 32 of its 473 barangays; Aklan has 12 of its 327 areas; Bacolod City with 9 of its 61 villages; Guimaras has also 9 of its 98 barangays; and Antique recorded 8 of its 590 barangays.
