Two more barangays in Negros Oriental were declared as “drug-cleared,” bringing to 267 out of 557 villages in the province that have been placed under this category, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Thursday, June 15.

These two barangays are Malalangsi and Sta. Agueda in Pamplona town, PDEA-Negros Oriental provincial chief Elmer Ebona told the Philippine News Agency.

Crisanto Ybañez, chair of Barangay Malalangsi and Glenn Monterona, chair of Barangay Sta. Agueda, received their respective “drug-cleared” certificates during a simple ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, June 14, at the PDEA office in Dumaguete City.

Ebona said the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing declared these barangays as “drug-cleared” recently following evaluation and the completion of requirements.

“A barangay is declared ‘drug-cleared’ once the PDEA has identified and inventoried the users and pushers in the village and interventions are already in place,” Ebona said.

More or less twenty of them from the two barangays have undergone the community-based drug rehabilitation program, he added.

Meanwhile, Pamplona town is aiming to be declared a “drug-cleared” municipality once its two remaining barangays have reached the same category, Ebona said.

Out of its 24 barangays, only Poblacion and Simboria are not yet declared as cleared although they are already heading in that direction, the PDEA provincial chief said.

Once all its barangays are declared as drug-cleared, Pamplona will be the second municipality after Basay to be tagged in that category, he added. (PNA)