Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Wilkins Villanueva said on Wednesday, August 4, that the new Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) which focuses more on clearing of barangay from the influence of illegal drugs.

Villanueva said the Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP) is a holistic and whole-of-nation approach by enlisting the support of stakeholders, duty bearers and local government units (LGUs) in drug-clearing operations.

Other salient features of the new DDB regulation includes providing emphasis on the provision of appropriate intervention to identified Persons Who Use Drugs (PWUDs) and qualified pushers; giving guidelines and procedures, including vetting and confirmation, for the declaration of drug-affected into drug-cleared barangay, municipality, city and province; making Balay Silangan as the sole intervention or reformation program for qualified drug pushers; conducting drug test on rehabilitated PWUDs and drug reformists who underwent general intervention and community drug treatment and rehabilitation programs and requiring the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs) to submit monthly reports on the status of all identified PWUDs.

The BDCP implementation follows a three-tier stage namely the foundation stage which defines the readiness of the barangay to undertake the BDCP; pivotal stage exemplifying that the BDCP is properly implemented and its impact is felt by the community and the sustainability stage meaning that the level of BDCP implementation is consistent.

This is indicated by empowered and self-policing barangays, resilient citizens, stigma-free rehabilitated PWUDs and drug reformists.

“Persistent and consistent. This is the way to go as we strive to eliminate illegal drugs barangay by barangay. The country’s drug problem is half solved as long as active and unfaltering BDCPs exist in our communities,” Villanueva said. (Chito A. Chavez)