ILLEGAL DRUGS. Some PHP414 million worth of shabu were seized in a buy-bust operation in Marilao, Bulacan on March 2, 2022). Bryan Babang, regional director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Luzon, said the entrapment operation led to the arrest of a high-value target who is a resident of Bacoor, Cavite. (Photo courtesy of PDEA Region 3) MANILA - More than 24,000 villages across the country have been cleared of illegal drugs since the start of the Duterte administration's crackdown on banned drugs in mid-2016. Based on the latest Real Numbers data released by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) over the weekend, a total of 24,766 out of the 42,045 barangays have been declared drug-cleared, 6,575 were drug unaffected/drug-free, and 10,704 have yet to be cleared of illegal drugs as of March 2022. The drug-clear status follows the certification of members of the oversight committee on the Barangay Drug-Clearing Program (BDCP). Under the BDCP, law enforcement