A barangay in Pasig City that housed the infamous “shabu tiangge (market)” is now “drug-cleared,” the local government announced on Wednesday, Aug. 2.
Barangay Sto. Tomas received the accolade in a ceremony graced by Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, Pasig Police chief Col. Celerino Sacro, and officials from the Pasig City Anti-Drug Abuse Office (PCADAO).
(Photo from Mayor Vico Sotto / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a social media post, Sotto clarified that “drug-cleared” is not the same as “drug-free.” It doesn’t mean there is already zero illegal drugs or drug activity in the area.
The “drug-cleared” status is earned by a barangay, city, or municipality that has fulfilled the parameters set by the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB). The results of the barangay assessment were validated by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Sotto recalled the Pasig shabu raid of 2006, which occurred at an unauthorized flea market near the City Hall, that led to the arrest of around 300 people.
“The raid was conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force. Notably, a few days after the raid, the LGU destroyed the crime scene without any coordination with the said Task Force,” said Sotto.
Given the improvements over the years, the mayor congratulated the barangay officials, led by Kap. Eya Lati Raymundo, and Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADAC) for achieving what he described as a “monumental event” for the city.
Aside from Sto. Tomas, Barangay San Miguel was also recognized as “drug-cleared.”
Both barangays were declared “drug-cleared” as of June 23, 2023. They also each received a cash incentive worth P500,000.
The success of these barangays were brought about by the efforts of the Pasig Police’s anti-illegal drugs activities, and PCADAO.
“Hindi puwede maging kampante at dapat tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang operations at iba pang programa patungkol dito (We cannot be complacent. Our operations and other programs [to curb illegal drugs] must continue),” Sotto said.
“Ipagpapatuloy natin ang suporta sa law enforcement agencies at paiigtingin pa natin ang ating demand-side reduction program (We will continue supporting law enforcement agencies and intensify our demand-side reduction program),” he added.
Other barangays in the city have been declared drug-cleared in the past such as San Jose, Bagong Katipunan and Sta. Rosa in 2016; Dela Paz and Ugong in 2018; and Sagad in 2022.