MISAMIS ORIENTAL — Authorities in Northern Mindanao are urging local leaders to maintain strict monitoring of illegal drugs, warning that “drug-cleared” status does not eliminate the risk of a resurgence in criminal activity.

The alert follows a string of law enforcement operations that netted more than P2 million worth of suspected illegal drugs this week in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro.

The scale of the challenge in Region 10 remains significant. Of the region’s 2,022 barangays, 1,866 were previously identified as drug-affected. To date, only 156 have been declared drug-free.

Regional official Navarro, whose full name and title were not immediately provided in the report, emphasized that maintaining this status requires more than just the efforts of the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

“It has to be sustained,” Navarro said. “It cannot be that just because a barangay is declared drug-cleared, monitoring will already stop.”

Navarro said the fight against illegal drugs requires active involvement from all sectors of the community, noting that the responsibility does not rest solely on law enforcement.

She highlighted the role of the family unit, stating that prevention begins at home through education and open communication between parents and children.

Authorities reiterated that long-term success depends on a combination of community-based rehabilitation programs, continuous information campaigns and sustained surveillance to protect the gains already achieved in the region’s anti-drug campaign.