BACOLOD CITY - The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Western Visayas has declared 10 more barangays in Negros Occidental as drug-free.
These barangays are Caliling and Isio in Cauayan town; Castellano, Lemery and Telim in Calatrava town; Madalag in E.B. Magalona town; Culipapa in Hinoba-an town; 5 Poblacion and Riverside in Isabela town; and Damsite in Murcia town.
In 2021, only 310 out of 601 villages in the province were drug-cleared. These 310 will be assessed again for the retention of their status, according to PDEA.
Meanwhile, 36 barangays from the provinces of Antique, Iloilo and Capiz retained their status as drug-cleared barangays having duly passed all parameters during the validation process.
As of December 2021, 86.71 percent or 3,513 out of the 4,051 villages in the region were drug-cleared.