Negros Oriental Agencies Formulate Unified Guidelines for Anti-Drug Efforts

DUMAGUETE CITY — Government offices in Negros Oriental are collaborating to establish a unified set of guidelines designed to enhance the effectiveness of anti-drug initiatives across the region.

According to Philippines News Agency, including the City Drug Abuse Council (CADAC), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the Dumaguete Police Station, a meeting was held on Friday to draft a comprehensive plan aimed at addressing the drug problem holistically. The new guidelines seek to synchronize and harmonize efforts across different sectors, focusing on law enforcement, treatment, rehabilitation, and after-care to combat drug abuse more effectively.

Councilor Rey Lawas, CADAC focal person, emphasized the necessity of unified action, noting that the current approach, where agencies operate independently, often leads to inconsistencies and slows down progress toward declaring barangays drug-free. “We need to go in one direction, to synchronize and harmonize our efforts even though we have different functions and roles in addressing these issues that will result in the declaration of drug-free barangays,” Lawas stated.

Current data presented during the meeting revealed that out of Dumaguete’s 30 barangays, only three are declared drug-free, where no drug pushers or users have been identified, and no drug supplies exist. An additional three barangays are considered drug-cleared, meeting more stringent criteria including the implementation of anti-drug programs and active involvement of officials in maintaining a drug-liberated status.

The meeting also highlighted ongoing drug-clearing operations in several other barangays, signaling a continued commitment to eradicating the drug menace from the community.