The city of Manila has been declared as the top drug-infested city, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-National Capital Region director Joel Plaza said.
Plaza said 90 percent of barangays in Manila are still drug-affected.
Of Manila’s 896 barangays, only 89 have been rid of illegal drugs, while 807 others are still affected by the narcotics trade.
“We only cleared a few in the past three years because we have a problem with our watch list. We couldn’t proceed with barangay clearing if the watch list is in disarray so we had to harmonize it,” Plaza said.
The PDEA official said there are about 56,000 users and 2,034 pushers in Manila.
“The capital is also the lone Metro Manila city without a PDEA office. We have long been asking for a PDEA office in) Manila so we can closely coordinate,” Plaza said.
Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso Moreno acknowledged PDEA’s data, calling it a “sad state that cannot be denied” as he approved the request for a PDEA office in Manila.
“Even if the national government has the capacity, it is hard for an operation to prosper if there is no coordination with the local government,” he said.
“I want this number to drop. It is a shame that we don’t have a PDEA office here while we have a campaign against drugs and the Office of the President is just one kilometer away,” Domagoso added.