Iloilo City: The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) assured on Monday that the illegal drug situation in the Western Visayas region remains under control despite ongoing challenges. “Our problem persists, but the situation in Western Visayas remains manageable,” PDEA Region 6 information officer Graciella Tanaleon stated in an interview, highlighting continued arrests and targeted operations in key areas.

According to Philippines News Agency, PDEA has reported the dismantling of eight drug dens from January to February 22. These operations occurred in various locations, including three in Iloilo City, two in Capiz province, and one each in Iloilo province, Bacolod City, and Antique province. Tanaleon emphasized that these actions reflect the effectiveness of ongoing monitoring and law enforcement efforts, rather than a rise in drug activities.

The agency remains vigilant in addressing drug problems through sustained operations and intelligence gathering, as well as community engagement and preventive education. Tanaleon noted that authorities are proactive in tracking and neutralizing drug-related activities, ensuring that Region 6 remains under control.

Under the Barangay Drug Clearing Program, 3,787 barangays have been deliberated, with over 2,400 cleared and more than 1,300 declared drug-free. Currently, only 264 barangays are pending evaluation by the Regional Oversight Committee. “The total deliberated is 93.48 percent. So less than seven percent still need to submit documents for deliberation,” Tanaleon explained.

PDEA is also planning visits to some barangays for possible revocation of their clearance, particularly those that have not updated their status. “We always emphasize during validation and verification of barangays that our status as drug-cleared or drug-free barangays is not permanent. The validation is good only for six months,” she added, noting that in other regions, there are barangays with revoked status.