TUBOD, Lanao del Norte (PIA)–A total of 295 barangays across the province have already been cleared from illegal drugs as of Oct. 25 according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Davidson Aranton, assistant provincial officer of PDEA Lanao del Norte, announced this during the virtual joint meeting of the provincial councils for Development, Peace and Order, Anti-illegal Drug Abuse, and Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
Out of 461 barangays in the province, 88 barangays are affected, two remain unaffected and 77 were certified unaffected barangays. In total, 19.09% of the barangays only remain affected by illegal drugs.
Aranton also said they conducted Community-based Anti-illegal Drugs Advocacy Trainer’s Training on Nov. 15 and 16 in Sultan Naga Dimaporo and Kolambugan municipalities, respectively. Another training in Kauswagan is currently ongoing.
The training aims to capacitate members of the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) for them to sustain and maintain their drug-cleared and drug-free barangays through preventive education.
Aranton said the training empowers the BADAC to create mechanisms to sustain their barangays as drug-cleared.
“Sila [BADAC] mismo mutrain ug mulecture sa ilang area para maprevent ang recurrence sa drug use ug drug pushing,” he said.
[They themselves will train and lecture in their area to prevent the recurrence of drug use and drug pushing.]
Participants of the training came from 73 barangays from the municipality of Sultan Naga Dimaporo, 26 barangays from Kolambugan, and 12 barangays from Kauswagan. (LELA/ PIA Lanao del Norte)
