The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) announced Thursday that 816 barangays in Cebu Province have achieved drug-cleared status, representing 76 percent of the province’s 1,066 total barangays.

Officials presented the updated statistics during the third-quarter meeting of focal persons from local City and Municipal Anti-Drug Abuse Councils. PDEA-7 records currently list 18 barangays as entirely drug-free, while 232 remain classified as drug-affected.

PDEA-7 Investigation Agent Romy Alcantara noted significant progress in anti-drug efforts across the province, highlighting that only 245 barangays, or 23 percent, were classified as drug-cleared in 2017.

On 17 September, the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing formally declared eight additional Cebu Province barangays as drug-cleared: Linut-od in Argao; Kaluangan in Asturias; Basak and Lambug in Badian; Tuburan Sur in Danao City; Linao in Talisay City; and Gawi and Tanawan in Oslob.

The oversight committee also cleared three other regional localities, including Barangay Jagobiao in Mandaue City, as well as Barangays Punta Engano and Pusok in Lapu-Lapu City.

In addition, the panel retained the classifications of 766 previously cleared barangays and 14 drug-free barangays following a performance review.

Under agency definitions, drug-cleared barangays are communities previously affected by illegal drug activities that successfully met official clearance standards after undergoing validation.