The Zamboanga City Police Office is currently working on a proposal that seeks to declare three more drug-cleared barangays in the city. These are barangays Tictapul, Sibulao and Pangapuyan.

In his report during the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) meeting last May 28, Police Lt.Col. Roberto Marcos of the ZCPO said the three barangays had registered the lowest number of drug surrenderers.

Records as of March 27, this year showed that Tictapul has had only 47 drug surrenderers, 23 of them users and 4 pushers, while Sibulao recorded only 52 drug personalities to include 51 users and 1 pusher. Pangapuyan, on the other hand, registered zero drug personality.

Thus, the police are now completing the requirements for the declaration of these three barangays as drug cleared by the CADAC chaired by Mayor Beng Climaco.

Earlier this year, CADAC upon the recommendation of the police had declared 5 drug-cleared barangays, namely; Dulian, Capisan, Lumayang, Tigbalabag and Lanzones.

A recapitulation of the ZCPO drug-clearing program (as of May 27, 2019) showed that of the city’s 98 barangays, 97 were affected by the drug menace (only 1 unaffected), of which 7 were seriously affected, 80 moderately affected, 5 slightly affected.

Under Resolution No. 3 series 2017 of the Dangerous Drugs Board, the category “seriously affected” involves the presence of clandestine laboratory, warehouse, marijuana plantation and drug den/tiange, drug trafficking or smuggling activities and drug personalities (users, pushers, financiers, peotectors, cultivators, manufacturers and others).

The category “moderately affected” involves the presence of drug pusher/s and/or user/s, while the “slightly affected” category involves the presence of drug user/s.-(Vic Larato) (photos:Kathy Wee Sit)