Which city is the drug source of Ilocos and Cordillera according to the PDEA?

By: Philippines News Agency

DAGUPAN CITY - Which city north of Manila is the source of illegal drugs of the regions of Ilocos and Cordillera?

According to the Ilocos regional office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Dagupan City - particularly Barangay Bonuan Binloc - is the source of illegal drugs that filter through other parts of Pangasinan, La Union, and Baguio City.

In a radio interview Saturday with Secretary Antonio Villar Jr., chairma of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), the PDEA said most drug pushers and dealers arrested from these areas affirmed this information.

PDEA Region 1 Director Jeoffrey Tacio said his ofice listed Bonuan Binloc as the lone barangay placed under Category 1 for being the most seriously drug affected barangay in Pangasinan.

Tacio confirmed what Villar earlier said on June 12 as guest speaker during the 155th commemoration of the Philippine Independence Day in Dagupan that Barangay Bonuan Binloc is the number one drug hub in Pangasinan and went on to blame village officials for not doing anything to stop the problem.

He said from the PDEA list, 102 barangays in Pangasinan are affected by illegal drugs and the most seriously affected is Barangay Bonuan Binloc and is suspected to have more than one drug pusher and at least one clandestine warehouse or den.

He, however, said that per PDEA monitoring, there is yet no drug laboratory in the region, including Pangasinan.

Three other barangays of Dagupan are listed as moderately affected and in Category 2: Bonuan Boquig, Bonuan Gueset and Lucao. PDEA said that barangays under Category 2 may have at least one drug pusher or trafficker.

Tacio said another hot spot is Barangay Camantiles in Urdaneta City, located in the eastern part of the province and a growing metropolis like Dagupan.


Villar asked the PDEA and the police to focus their attention on the drug hot spots, particularly in Bonuan Binloc, Dagupan City to finally reduce if not completely eliminate the drug problem in the province.