By Freddie G. Lazaro Laoag City, Ilocos Norte — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has declared 98 percent of Region 1 or a total of 2,855 barangays out of 2,901 barangays as “drug-cleared” during the recent meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) held at Sison Auditorium in Lingayen, Pangasinan. With this accomplishment, Ilocos Norte Governor Imee R. Marcos lauded the PDEA and other law enforcement agencies for their efforts in mitigating the proliferation of illegal drugs in her capacity as regional chairman of the RPOC in Region 1. Prior to the war on drugs of the Duterte administration, PDEA had reported that out of Region 1’s 3,265 barangays, 2,901 were infiltrated by illegal drugs. “With the initiatives of PDEA and their local counterparts… only 46 barangays are with the influence and use of illegal drugs,” Marcos said. Cordillera: 7 nabbed In the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), the Police Regional Office (PRO) said seven drug suspects were arrested and 30 more have surrendered in its continuing anti-drugs campaign from April 16 to April 22. The seven arrested yielded a total of 29 sachets of shabu; a marijuana brick; a wrapped marijuana stalk and dried leaves; and two firearms. CL’s most wanted In Central Luzon, a man most wanted in Abucay, Bataan for illegal drugs and a woman listed as the No. 2 high-value target (HVT) in Camiling, Tarlac were arrested separately last week. Chief Superintendent Amador V. Corpus, police regional director (RD), said Marie Faye Agustin, of legal age, yielded two heat-sealed plastic sachets of suspected shabu and the marked P500 bill used in the buy-bust operation in Barangay Cacamilingan Norte in Camiling. Her arrest came after warrant officers arrested Emerson Ebido, 41 and the No. 3 Most Wanted Person in Abucay, who is facing illegal drugs and estafa charges. Bulacan bet falls Just recently, 33 drug suspects, including a candidate for “kagawad” or village council member in Meycauayan City, were arrested in a series of anti-narcotics operations in Bulacan. Sr. Supt. Romeo M. Caramat Jr., Bulacan police provincial director (PD), identified the candidate for kagawad as Janet Brigole Oñate, 41, single, a former overseas Filipino worker and native of Zamboanga, who is running the upcoming elections in Barangay Tugatog, Meycauayan City. Seven others were arrested with Oñate during a shabu session in which three sachets of shabu and drug paraphernalia were seized by police. Meanwhile, buy-bust operations in the cities of Malolos and San Jose del Monte and the municipalities of Bocaue, Norzagaray Calumpit, Bustos, Plaridel, Angat, Baliwag, Hagonoy, Marilao, and Pandi last weekend resulted in the arrest of 25 other suspects and the confiscation of 86 sachets of shabu. In a related development, Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado convened last week in Malolos City the village officials from the 569 barangays of Bulacan and PDEA officials led by PDEA-3 Director Gil T. Pabilona to pledge their support to eradicating the illegal drugs problem. As Alvarado called for a drug-free Bulacan, Pabilona appealed to local government officials to actively report illegal drugs activities in their areas so the PDEA and its partner-law enforcement agencies may curb them. Herminio “Bobbit” Diño, who represented DILG Undersecretary Martin Diño, called on local officials and the electorate to ensure that the barangay elections will not be influenced by illegal drug traders and narco-politicians. Laguna: 2 dead In Southern Tagalog, two drug suspects were shot dead in what police said was a buy-bust operation which ended in a shootout inside one of the fatalities’ rented unit in Biñan, Laguna last Saturday night. Sr. Supt. Kirby Kraft, Laguna PD, identified the slain suspects as Jerwin Bartolazo and his nephew Jay Manalo, both of legal age, and residents of Mercado Street, Barangay Platero, Biñan. While Kraft said there was a shootout that broke out in the middle of the buy-bust operation at 9:30 p.m., relatives of the fatalities said a sting did not take place as claimed by police. Relatives of the fatalities, who declined to be identified for fear of reprisal, claimed that police simply stormed into the residential unit, fired shots and later Bartolazo and Manalo were already dead. Kraft maintained there was a shootout and revealed that Bartolazo was also wanted for a double-murder case. Cavite drug shootout In Cavite, a drug suspect was killed before dawn Thursday in a shootout with police in Bacoor City. The shootout happened after suspect Jersey Andrade resisted arrest in a drug operation in Barangay Salinas at 12:30 a.m. Andrade died on the spot and police collected his .38-caliber handgun as evidence. CamNor chemical In Bicol, 20 liters of a liquid chemical believed to be used in producing illegal drugs was found floating off Perez town, Camarines Norte. Fishermen plucked the container from the waters on April 22 and turned it over to the police the following day. Sr. Supt. Rhoderick Armamento, PD of Quezon province in Calabarzon Region, alerted police that a similar find may reach the coast of Quezon from fishing grounds where the container was found. (With reports from Zaldy C. Comanda, Freddie C. Velez, Mar T. Supnad, Anthony Giron, Danny J. Estacio, and Martin A. Sadongdong)