DAVAO CITY – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) declared on Saturday as drug-cleared 17 municipalities in the Zamboanga Peninsula (ZamPen) due to their successful campaign against illegal drugs.
The declaration was done during the regional launching of the program dubbed as ‘Buhay ay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan (BIDA).’
DILG Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos said in a statement that “all of the 386 barangays within the 17 municipalities were already declared as drug-cleared.
Those declared as drug-cleared are the municipalities of Bayog, Domingag, Josefina, Lakewood, Mahayag, Pitogo, Somingot, Tabina, Tigbao, Vicenzo Sagun at Ramon Magsaysay in Zamboanga del Sur; Siay in Zambo Sibugay, and Kalawit, Labson, La Libertad, Siayan at Sindangan in Zamboanga del Norte.
Based on the Dangerous Drug Board (DDB) Regulation No. 4, s. of 2021, before a municipality can be declared as drug-cleared, all its barangays must be vetted as drug-cleared upon the assessment of the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing (ROCBDC).
According to data from the regional Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-9) as of December 2022, out of the 1,904 barangays in the region, 1,334 were completely cleared of illegal drugs; 455 barangays were affected while 115 barangays remained unaffected.
As defined by DILG, a drug-cleared barangay is one that is previously classified as drug-affected and underwent Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP) and declared as drug-cleared by the ROCBDC. Meanwhile, a drug-free barangay refers to an unaffected barangay that has been vetted and confirmed by ROCBDC.
