The Agutaya Municipal Police Station has urged the public to understand the difference between “drug-free” and “drug-cleared” barangays following the recent release of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of validated communities in Palawan.
In a Facebook post, the police station warned against misinformation circulating online after some residents expressed confusion over the classifications.
“Avoid fake news, base sa nababasa online, intindihin ang pagkakaiba,” Agutaya police said.
According to the police, a drug-free barangay is a community with no recorded drug-related activities since monitoring began, while a drug-cleared barangay is an area previously affected by illegal drugs but has passed validation by the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing (ROCBDC).
The ROCBDC is an inter-agency body tasked with validating and declaring communities free from illegal drug activities based on standards set by the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Based on the latest PDEA list, Barangays Concepcion and Algeciras in Agutaya were declared drug-cleared, while the municipality’s remaining eight barangays were classified as drug-free.
Despite the declarations, Agutaya police said monitoring and anti-drug operations will continue in all barangays as part of the municipality’s efforts under the Municipal Anti-Drug Abuse Council.
Police said they will remain active in identifying, apprehending, and filing cases against individuals involved in illegal drugs, including those in drug-cleared areas.
“Kasama sa pagpapanatili ng drug-cleared ay ang pag-aresto sa mga drug personalities upang malagay sa piitan at makapag-undergo ng tamang rehabilitation,” the police station said.
Authorities emphasized that drug-cleared status does not mean law enforcement efforts have ended, but rather that communities must sustain measures to prevent the return of illegal drug activities.
