Pangasinan’s Persistent Drive for a Drug-Free Community: PDEA Chronicles Progress and Challenges in Anti-Drug Campaign

 

Continued Efforts in Pangasinan to Achieve Full Drug-Free Status: PDEA Director Emphasizes Anti-Drug Initiatives and Community Involvement

Drug symposiums in communities and the promotion of drug-free workplaces will persist in Pangasinan as part of the ongoing efforts to achieve full drug-free status, according to the head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the region.

PDEA-Pangasinan Director Retchie Camacho stated in a recent phone interview that as of December 29, 92 percent of the 1,272 drug-affected villages in Pangasinan, totaling 1,157, have attained drug-cleared status. However, Camacho emphasized that being drug-cleared does not signify the complete eradication of illegal drug activities. Hence, continuous anti-illegal drug activities by law enforcement authorities and local government units (LGUs) are essential.

Before declaring a barangay (village) free from illegal drug activities, validation is required, ensuring non-availability of drug supply and the absence of drug transit activity, clandestine drug laboratories, chemical warehouses, marijuana cultivation sites, drug dens, and drug pushers and users, as per PDEA guidelines.

Camacho added that the drug-cleared status could be revoked if the village fails to address reported drug personalities or activities within its jurisdiction. The Regional Office will issue a memo, giving the barangay or LGU 30 days to respond or take action, either through intervention like rehabilitation or by filing a case against the involved drug personality.

In the past year, PDEA Pangasinan confiscated PHP3.6 million worth of illegal drugs (shabu and marijuana) and apprehended 54 high-value targets in seven high-impact operations. Thirty municipalities out of the 43 affected and one out of the four drug-affected cities have achieved drug-cleared status.

Camacho highlighted that demand reduction and law enforcement activities will persist to address the remaining villages with drug-related issues. Those not yet cleared typically have drug personalities who have not surrendered or been identified since 2016, necessitating proper intervention such as rehabilitation or arrest.

To support rehabilitation efforts, eight municipalities have signed a memorandum of agreement with the provincial government for the use of the newly inaugurated provincial reformation facility in Burgos town. This facility, the first of its kind in the Ilocos Region, aims to provide an alternative intervention for drug offenders through the Balay Silangan community program, promoting reform and reintegration into society.