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Iloilo LGU ready to host reformation center for ‘pushers’

By Perla Lena

March 7, 2019, 7:20 pm

<p><strong>REFORMATION CENTER.</strong> The lecture room of the proposed Balay Silangan Reformation Center in Brgy. Sablogon, Passi City. <em>(Photo courtesy of PDEA 6)</em></p>

REFORMATION CENTER. The lecture room of the proposed Balay Silangan Reformation Center in Brgy. Sablogon, Passi City. (Photo courtesy of PDEA 6)

ILOILO CITY -- Passi City, a component city of Iloilo, has a ready facility that could house the reformation center for drug pusher-surrenderers, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) here.

Dubbed as “Balay Silangan”, the reformation center is patterned after the “Bahay Pagbabago” of Central Luzon, PDEA Western Visayas officer-in-charge Alex M. Tablate said by phone on Thursday.

“Balay Silangan is one strategy of PDEA. It is intended for (drug) surrenderers who fall under the pushers’ category,” he said, adding that it is mandatory for every local government unit to have a reformation center based on the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) regulation.

Tablate said that the reformation center is proposed at the Philippine Red Cross building in Barangay Sablogon, Passi City. It is complete with facilities, such as a lecture room and a dormitory.

“We are now working on the requirements including the Memorandum of Agreement,” he said.

Passi City has only three pusher-surrenderers but it is willing to accept those coming from neighboring municipalities.

“We are targeting that it will become operational in the second semester,” he said.

Drug pushers will undergo a reformation program at the center for at least three months. One month will be the mandatory in-house and the rest will be a combination of in-house and livelihood trainings, among others.

The center is a necessity since barangays classified as moderately affected have drug pushers in their jurisdiction.

“With that we can already address the necessity for pusher-surrenderers to be placed in the Balay Silangan and eventually declare their barangays (as drug cleared) if they graduate from the center,” he added.

Tablate emphasized that LGUs need not construct new buildings for the “Balay Silangan”, instead they just have to follow the program of instructions.

He cited as example the province of Guimaras, which has five municipalities looking at building a structure to accommodate pusher-surrenderers from the entire province.

The municipality of Miagao, Iloilo, although it has been declared as drug-cleared, will also be establishing its own Balay Silangan.

The local government is considering the old building of the municipal police station to be utilized for the center once it is vacated in June this year.

Tablate said Miagao is also willing to accommodate clients coming from neighboring municipalities.

Aside from the three LGUs, PDEA is also talking with the local government units of Janiuay in Iloilo and Tapaz, Capiz for the establishment of the Balay Silangan. (PNA)

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