CITY OF MATI, DAVAO ORIENTAL—After successfully meeting the requirements set by the Dangerous Drugs Board Regulations number 3, series of 2017, three barangays in the City of Mati has been declared drug-cleared in a declaration and ceremonial signing on June 26 at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall, City of Mati.
Barangays Badas, Tagbinonga, and Mayo were declared drug-cleared in time for the celebration of the International Day of Anti-Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (IDDAIT).
Witnessed by the respective Punong Barangays and the drug reformists, the passage declaring the three barangays cleared from drugs was read by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Regional Director Antonio D. Rivera, who at the same time is the Chairman of the Regional Oversight Committee.
“After thorough assessment and validation pertinent to their compliance with the parameters as enumerated in section 8 Dangerous Drug Board Regulation Number 3, Series of 2017, I hereby declare Barangay Badas, Tagbinonga, all of City of Mati, Davao Oriental as drug-cleared barangays as of July 3, 2018, and Barangay Mayo, City of Mati, Davao Oriental as drug-cleared barangay as of June 26, 2019,” he said.
City Government officials congratulated the Punong Barangays for successfully doing their part for being at the frontline in the war against illegal drugs. Vice Mayor Glenda Rabat-Gayta said the city government is proud of the current status of the three barangays, stressing that it is a manifestation of ensuring the sustainability of its drug-cleared status considering the huge population of the said barangays being at the economic center of the province.
“With the help of our PADAC Officer, and with the effort of our CADAC Officer, we have already cleared four, so five more to go. Why did it take us this long? Because Mati is the center of the province. And we are not in a hurry because we wanted to do it right. We have to do it step by step and to ensure that once we declared cleared at least we can be proud to say it’s really cleared,” she said.
Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) Action Officer and at the same time Provincial Administrator Art Benjie commended the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council’s (CADAC) achievement, saying that it is indeed a manifestation that the government is really serious with its campaign against illegal drugs. Of the three barangays, only Barangay Mayo has been identified under the PDEA watchlist. But the CADAC still conducted clearing operations in the other two barangays due to the presence of drug personalities in the said areas.
“We want to address what is the real problem, what is the real score in the community. From about 79 barangays which are affected under the watchlist of PDEA, we are now on our 74th Barangay to be declared as drug cleared, and the first province, hopefully, to be declared as drug-free province in the region, in the whole island of Mindanao,” he said.
With only five remaining barangays not yet cleared from drugs, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Provincial Director Orle Cabaobao challenged all concerned stakeholders to beef up efforts in clearing the City from illegal drugs considering the possible approval of Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Act by 2020.
“By 2020, SGLG will already be an act, unlike now that it is optional so it is alright to pass or not. And maybe one indicator [to pass the seal] is being a drug-cleared city, so if the remaining barangays are not yet cleared, the city will not get the Seal,” he said.
City Planning and Development Officer Rosendo Linsag, who represented Mayor-elect Michelle Nakpil Rabat, said that City Government of Mati, in collaboration with all concerned agencies, “will do its best to clear the remaining barangays from drugs before the year ends.”
Also, Liga ng Barangay President Samuel Rodriguez manifested the barangay leader’s full support “in all drug-clearing activities from the national government down to the barangay level”. Text and Photos by Riza M. Golez
