URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan: Mayor Amadeo Gregorio Perez 4th confirmed on Saturday that Barangay Camantiles tagged as among the Top 5 in the list of villages infested with illegal drugs has been declared drug-free; the 16th barangay (village) to be declared thus in this city.

Supt. Marceliano Desamito, acting Urdaneta City chief of police, told The Manila Times that the clearing was based on the evaluation report after the house to house visitations of the police in the village for more than two weeks.

Perez said the certificate of the drug-cleared barangay was handed to Chairman Elmer Gancena in a ceremony on Friday.

DRUG-FREE Camantiles Barangay Chairman Elmer Gancena (3rd from right) is shown signing the drugfree certification in the presence of (from left) Dexter Asayco of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region I and Supt. Marceliano Desamito Jr., Urdaneta City acting chief of police. PHOTO BY JAIME G. AQUINO
DRUG-FREE Camantiles Barangay Chairman Elmer Gancena (3rd from right) is shown signing the drugfree certification in the presence of (from left) Dexter Asayco of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region I and Supt. Marceliano Desamito Jr., Urdaneta City acting chief of police. PHOTO BY JAIME G. AQUINO

Gancena admitted that the PDEA and the police regional office tagged Barangay Camantiles as the hideout of big time drug dealers particularly those in the Muslim compound there.

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The city engineering office has demolished the houses in the compound where more than 400 Muslim families lived after the residents voluntarily left the compound.

Perez believes the declaration of Barangay Camantiles as drug-free is a major victory in their fight against illegal drugs in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s all-out war against illegal drugs.

He urged barangay officials and the residents to be always on alert to prevent the entry of pushers and users from other villages.

Meanwhile, Gancena said he will not allow strangers to enter the village unless accompanied by relatives who are Barangay Camantiles residents.