NAGUILIAN, La Union – Once became the place of the largest clandestine shabu laboratory in Asia, this town has been declared drug-free after its 28 barangays affected with illegal drugs were all now cleared based on the final validation of the Municipal Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Madac) while the nine other barangays remain drug free.
Naguilian is the first town in La Union to declare as illegal drug-cleared municipality.
Mayor Reynaldo Flores, Madac chairman, said that a Madac resolution declaring the 28 barangays cleared of illegal drugs or related activities have been confirmed based on a resolution approved by the Sangguniang Bayan headed by Vice Mayor Abraham Rimando.
“All the barangays, families, schools, public and private agencies, and all the establishments in our town have submitted an individual form given by Madac to validate their own ranks with regards to illegal drugs or related activities. The validation was done through the guidelines of the Dangerous Drugs Board,” Flores said.
Flores said the Madac validating team, composed of the representatives from Philippine National Police, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development, local government units, and religious groups, confirmed that all the 28 barangays were already cleared of illegal drugs.
“The barangays were validated one-by-one, as well as school teachers and students, workers in government agencies and private establishments, and the whole employee of our municipal government,” Flores said.
Flores, himself, has been cleared by the PNP as “high value target” after an investigation was conducted when President Duterte named him as such in his narco-list.
Flores said they will be inviting officials of the PNP, DILG, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, National Bureau of Investigation, and other concerned law enforcement agencies to validate and confirm the clearance of the affected barangays including those declared drug-free.
Madac recorded 415 surrenderers who are now undergoing self-rehabilitation as assisted by the municipal government, one them will be brought to a rehabilitation center, while two pushers who surrendered were arrested.
One of the illegal drug-free barangay is Upper Bimmotobot, the village where the shabu laboratory was discovered in July 2008. Authorities said at least a trillion worth of shabu was manufactured in the area for it’s more than one year operation.
Former Dagupan City police chief Superintendent Dionicio Borromeo has been convicted after he was found guilty of protecting the operation of the shabu lab.
Chief Inspector Cirilo Butigan Jr, the town’s police chief, said he already reported to the PNP headquarters in La Union and the PDEA regional office in Camp Diego Silang that the whole town of Naguilian has been cleared of illegal drugs.
Butigan, who spearheaded in validating each all the 28 affected barangays, said he issued certification to barangay officials after a thorough validation on their situation.
“In clearing these barangays is a collaborative effort of local police, PDEA and anti-illegal drug group,” Butigan said.
He said they will continue to monitor all the barangays in Naguilian to maintain its status as drug-cleared municipality.
By Dexter A. See
