DRUG-CLEARED. Bolinao town Mayor Alfonso Celeste (left) shows the certification of drug-cleared status of the town from Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Pangasinan Director Retchie Camacho (right) on Jan. 23, 2024. The municipal government vowed to maintain their status through demand and supply reduction programs. (Photo courtesy of PDEA Pangasinan)
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – An official of the municipality of Bolinao has vowed to continue with the town’s demand and supply reduction programs against illegal drugs after it received drug-cleared status from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Pangasinan.
Municipal Administrator and Municipal Anti-Drug Abuse Council focal person Blesilda Ramirez, in a phone interview on Thursday, said they aim to maintain their drug-cleared status, citing that three of their villages – Culang, Lambes and Catungi– were not affected by drug problem while the other 27 have been declared drug-cleared.
Ramirez said the local government’s anti-drug project funding has been increased from PHP500,000 to PHP1 million this year to boost their capacity to fight drug-related issues.
“Our programs under demand-supply reduction will be continued,” she said.
Part of the program is the continuing spiritual guidance with annual retreat for its surrenderers and their immediate family members and cash-for-work programs.
Ramirez said there are over 400 drug surrenderers in the town who have undergone community-based rehabilitation since they were diagnosed with low risk level of addiction.
“No need for them to be in rehab(ilitation) centers but more on community-based with constant monitoring (and) unannounced drug-testing to check if there might be somebody who have relapsed, but so far none. When they surrendered, there was finality,” she said.
The local government has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Manaoag town for the center-based rehabilitation of street-level pushers who availed of plea-bargaining and were endorsed to the local government unit by the court, she said.
PDEA-Pangasinan Director Retchie Camacho, in a separate interview, said 33 of the 44 municipalities in the province have been cleared of illegal drugs, but he is urging officials to remain vigilant and continue the fight against proliferation of illegal drugs. (PNA)
