After declaring 24 barangays in Valenzuela as drug-free workplace, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) -Valenzuela and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) certify three more drug-cleared barangays after they passed the standards and met the parameters set forth under Section 3 of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation No. 2, Series of 2007. 

The barangays of Lawang Bato, Mapulang Lupa and Paso de Blas have complied with the said standards after being proven to have absence of drug supply, drug transit/transshipment activity, drug laboratory and warehouse, chemical warehouse, marijuana cultivation site, drug den, drug pusher, protector, coddler and financier, and user/dependent. 

They also passed the parameters by engaging their barangay officials in anti-drug activities and actively involving the youth to help maintain their drug-liberated status. Moreover, the barangays have existing drug awareness, preventive education and information and other related programs, and the existence of voluntary and compulsary drug treatment and rehabilitation processing desk. 

The certificate of declaration was officially received by the barangays yesterday, April 16, during the City Council session at the Session Hall. The three certified barangays will receive a total of Php 4 Million worth of infrastructure projects from the city government and the office of 1st district Congressman WES Gatchalian. 

Mayor REX Gatchalian also awarded the 11 police officers and barangay workers for their contribution in the conviction of drug personalities and drug cases. The reward is pursuant to City Ordinance No. 285, Series of 2016, or the “Reward System in Drug Cases Ordinance”. Under Section 7 of the said ordinance, per every accused convicted, an amount equivalent to Php 100,000 shall be distributed by the Rewards Committee in the following manner – members of the team who participated in the conduct of the operation and who further took part in the court proceedings of such case shall receive an amount equivalent to 70 percent of the total amount of the reward, while those members who participated in the conduct of the operation but have no part in the court hearings shall receive the 30 percent. 

DILG and PDEA have certified the barangays of Wawang Pulo, Tagalag and Coloong last year, followed by the declaration of 24 drug-free workplace barangays. At present, there are a total of six drug-cleared barangays in the city. Five more barangays are just awaiting the official certificates of declaration. These are barangays Canumay East, Canumay West, Rincon, Dalandanan and Pasolo.