CEBU CITY — Sixty-two more barangays in Central Visayas have been declared drug-cleared following the recent deliberation by the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing (ROCBDC).

The ROCBDC conducted a blended online and face-to-face deliberation from May 29 to 30 where a thorough validation of the documentary requirements and the status of the drug situation in the applicant barangays was discussed.
After the validation at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas (PDEA-7) headquarters in Barangay Lahug here, the ROCBDC conferred the drug-cleared status on 19 barangays in Cebu province, 15 in Bohol, 22 in Negros Oriental, and six in Cebu City.
On the second day of the validation, the ROCBDC, led by its chairman, PDEA 7 Regional Director Emerson L. Margate, also validated 46 barangays which were previously declared as drug-cleared.
The 46 barangays were assessed to have been able to maintain their drug-cleared status and were issued resolutions for the retention of their status.
Of the 46 validated barangays, one was from Bogo City, Cebu, 26 from Siquijor, and 19 from Cebu City.
The ROCBDC has declared 1,806 drug-cleared barangays and 116 drug-free barangays out of the 3,003 barangays in the region.
The declaration of drug-cleared barangays and validation of barangays previously declared as drug-cleared is under the Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP), pursuant to DDB Regulation No. 4, Series of 2021.
The PDEA-7 described BDCP as a holistic anti-illegal drug strategy aimed at reducing the drug affectation in the country.