DAGUPAN CITY, Jan. 26 (PIA) – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Regional Office 1, in partnership with the city government of Dagupan, has recently opened the 12th Balay Silangan Reformation Center at the A.B. Fernandez Avenue in Poblacion here.
 
Balay Silangan, a national drug reformation program, offers a temporary refuge that aims to help drug offenders transform themselves into self-sufficient and law-abiding members of society.
 
PDEA Region 1 Director Joel Plaza said that establishing the Balay Silangan is required for every local government unit (LGU) throughout the country to achieve a drug-cleared status.
 
He emphasized the importance of intervention in drug-clearing operations.
 
“Itong approach na ito ay tinatawag na ‘Law enforcement with a heart.’ Ayaw namin na magkaroon ng casualty sa drug operations kaya ganitong paraan na ang ginagawa namin,” he stated.
 
(This approach is called ‘Law enforcement with a heart.’ We do not want to have any casualties in drug operations so we are doing it this way.)
 
Plaza said the facility can cater to about 20 individuals per batch and is limited to drug personalities who are street-level pushers and users.
 
For this first batch, a total of eight recovering drug offenders will benefit from counseling sessions, health education, values formation, and personal and life skills during their one-month mandatory in-house reformation.
 
Those who will complete the one-month in-house reformation program will proceed to the two-month livelihood or employment phase.
 
“Effective itong Balay Silangan kasi ‘yong iba ay nagiging job order na ng gobyerno o ng barangay. Tumutulong na sila sa development ng gobyerno,” Plaza said.
 
(The Balay Silangan is effective because others are becoming job orders of the government or the barangay. They are helping the development of the government.)
 
Meanwhile, the city government of Dagupan will provide financial and livelihood assistance to the families of the drug reformist while he or she is inside the facility.
 
Out of 31 barangays in this city, four are already drug-cleared namely Barangay 4, Mamalingling, Pogo Grande, and Tebeng.
 
Likewise, Plaza called on residents to immediately report to the police if there were any illegal drug dealing activities in their respective areas so that immediate action could be taken.
 
Other LGUs in Pangasinan with established Balay Silangan Reformation Center are the towns of Aguilar, Asingan, Balungao, Bani, Basista, Burgos, Manaoag, San Fabian, Sison, Umingan, and the city of San Carlos. (JCR/AMB/JCDR/DMLT/PIA Pangasinan)