Facility for drug offenders to rise in Sarangani

GENERAL SANTOS CITY-- Preparations are underway for the establishment of Mindanao's first-ever community-based reformation facility for drug law offenders in Malungon town, Sarangani Province.  

Malungon town has been chosen by the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as among the pilot sites in the country for the implementation of the flagship Balay Silangan program, Mayor Maria Theresa Constantino said.

Constantino said she signed Thursday a memorandum of agreement with the program's national oversight committee for the hosting of the facility and rollout of the reformation program.

She said it will take off from the local government's Outpatient Reformatory and Treatment Center for Drug Dependents, which opened in November 2016.

The drug rehabilitation hub, which was the first local government-run facility in Region 12, was established at the Villareal Resort in Barangay Nagpan.

The facility also serves as the main base for the municipality's special task force against illegal drugs.

Valente Cariño, PDEA Region 12 director, said the Balay Silangan program will be formally launched in the area on May 22.

Cariño said the initiative, which was officially launched in Manila last April 25, was based on DDB Resolution No. 2, series of 2018, or the "Balay Silangan - Guidelines for community involvement in reforming drug offenders into self-sufficient and Law-Abiding members of society."

The program will be implemented in coordination with the DDB, PDEA, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of the Interior and Local Government, Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

Aside from Malungon, the other pilot areas are the province of Capiz and the cities of Caloocan and Cabanatuan.

The official said the upcoming community-based rehabilitation facility will mainly cater to local drug law offenders, as well as complement the LGU's anti-drug programs.

Once operational, Cariño said prospective clients will initially undergo an assessment by the DSWD. If they found eligible based on the established parameters, he said they will be accepted into the reformation program. (PNA)