ANOTHER 10 villages in Quezon City have been declared “drug-cleared” by Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, Quezon City Police District chief Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar and Dangerous Drugs Board chairperson Benjamin Reyes.
Barangays Maharlika, Philam, Paligsahan, Laging Handa, Teacher’s Village East, Novaliches Proper, Capri, Greater Lagro, Greater Fairview, and New Era were added to the previous list of nine drug-free barangays.
Belmonte led the presentation of plaques of recognition to the 10 villages cleared by the authorities based on the merit of compliance, with the parameters set by DDB and the QC Anti-Drug Abuse Advisory Council.
Eleazar said QCADAAC will conduct an assessment after three months to determine if these barangays still maintain their drug-cleared status.
“We can revert their status if there will be a let-up in their campaign against the illegal drugs,” he said.
Belmonte and Eleazar previously declared Damar, West Triangle, Blue Ridge B, Libis, Quirino 3B, Mangga, Valencia, Horseshoe and Kalusugan as drug-cleared villages.
Belmonte admitted that District 2’s thickly populated barangays—Holy Spirit, Batasan Hills, Payatas, Commonwealth and Bagong Silangan, with over 200,000 residents—may not be able to achieve a drug-clear status.
“But at least, we hope to lower the drug incidence there,” she said.
The vice mayor said most District 2 villages showed a remarkable improvement in their campaign against illegal drugs.
As far as Mayor Herbert Bautista is concerned, the parameters set by the DDB “are no longer realistic,” especially in areas which are thickly populated. He called on DDB Chairman Benjamin Reyes to institute policy changes in the determination of the degree of the drug problem in a certain village.
Belmonte earlier said the Quezon City Anti-Drug Abuse Advisory Council, under her watch, came up with the expanded parameters with help from the DDB, QCPD, the Department of Interior and Local Government-National Capital Region, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Liga ng mga Barangay, Ugnayan ng Barangay at mga Simbahan, and Mamamayang Ayaw sa Iligal na Droga to identify drug-free villages.