Alaminos hailed as first drug-free city in Region I

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) declared Alaminos City as the first city in the region to be drug-free on June 19.

PDEA Region 1 Director Jeoffrey Tacio, Philippine National Police Region 1 Director Chief Supt. Charlo Collado, and local officials led by Mayor Arthur Celeste signed the resolution passed by City Anti-Drug Abuse Council attesting to the declaration that the city was drug-free.

According to Tacio, the declaration was based on the evaluation made by the Oversight Committee chaired by PDEA with Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, local government unit, and Department of Health.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 1 Director Jeoffrey Tacio, Philippine National Police Region 1 Director Chief Supt. Charlo Collado, and local officials led by Mayor Arthur Celeste signed the resolution passed by City Anti-Drug Abuse Council attesting to the declaration that the city was drug-free.

(Photo Courtesy: Nora Dominguez)

The city police headed by police chief P/Superintendent Benjamin Ariola confiscated 14.4048 grams of shabu and 0.067 grams of marijuana against 777 identified drug personalities with most of them surrendered and had undergone community based rehabilitation program. From July 1, 2016 to June 15, 2017, there were 39 barangays cleared on the 44 operations made.

PDEA Region 1 Director Tacio said: “What Alaminos did is indeed laudable.” He praised the efforts of the city government and added that “it might be the first city to be cleared in the country.”

As of June 19, there are already 444 barangays declared drug-cleared in Region 1, 226 of these came from Pangasinan according to Tacio. The other drug-cleared areas in the region are Suyo in Ilocos Sur, Burgos in La Union and Laoac in Pangasinan, aside from Alaminos City and Agno.