Only two of 80 barangays of Cebu City are declared drug-free, according to the latest report of the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council.
These barangays are Agsungot and Binaliw, both of which are more than 20 kilometers away from the city’s central area, leaving the rest of the city barangays either seriously affected or threatened by the drug menace.
The BADAC is comprised of the Department of Education, the local government, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Sangguniang Kabataan, the Barangay Council, the police, and the health department in the area.
Its report on the classification of drug affected barangays, covering the months from January to June, would still be verified by the City Police then submitted to the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council, said the chief of City Police vice control section, Insp. Wilbert Parilla.
A barangay could only declared drug-free if there are no drug activities, drug pushers, drug users, cultivation of marijuana and other illegal drug activities in the place.
Parilla said there are 11 barangays now considered seriously affected of drug problem. These are Kamagayan, Lorega-San Miguel, T. Padilla, Camputhaw, Ermita, Suba, Pasil, Sawang Calero, Duljo-Fatima, Mambaling, and Calamba.
These are the same barangays listed last year as seriously affected by drug problem.
Parilla said there are four categories in classifying the drug problem in the barangays.
In the first category, 2.5 percent of the residents are classified as drug dependents or pushers, in addition to the existence of illegal drug groups, shabu laboratory, and marijuana plantations.
When 2.49 percent of the settlers of a certain barangay are drug dependents and drug pushers, it falls in the second category. Barangay Pulangbato is listed here.
A barangay belongs to the third category when less than one percent of its residents are drug dependents or involved in illegal drug activities. A barangay belongs to the fourth category it has been cleared of a previous drug problem and now has no report of any drug case. — Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE