ANTI-DRUG MEETING. Officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Pampanga, Pampanga Police Provincial Office, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), discuss in a meeting on Tuesday (Feb. 2, 2021) the establishment of more Balay Silangan reformation centers in the province. The move is to ensure that drug surrenderers receive a holistic reformation and recovery program to become productive citizens of the community. (Photo by DILG-Pampanga)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The provincial government is eyeing to establish more Balay Silangan reformation centers in this province as part of the continuing campaign against illegal drugs.
Myrvi Apostol-Fabia, provincial director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), said on Tuesday that the provincial government hopes to sustain its gains on the campaign against illegal drugs by ensuring that all concerned offices, agencies, and local government units (LGUs) are aligned and have a unified stand on the drug clearing program in the province.
Fabia said the establishment of Balay Silangan is among the main topics they discussed during a meeting with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Philippine National Police (PNP) to ensure that drug surrenderers receive a holistic reformation and recovery program to become productive citizens of the community.
At present, there are two Balangay Silangan reformation centers in the province.
Fabia said the Pampanga Police Provincial Office led by Col. Arnold Thomas Ibay and PDEA-Pampanga head Vidal de Bacolod have committed for a more directed and intensified drug clearing efforts to ensure the peace and safety of residents.
This is also in response to the tall order of Governor Dennis Pineda to increase the number of drug-cleared barangays in the province to at least 85 percent until June this year, she said.
So far, there are five municipalities in the province that have successfully sustained their drug-cleared status despite the challenges brought by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. These are Masantol, San Simon, Minalin, Arayat, and San Luis.
“Since the launch of our fight against illegal drugs in 2016, we never ceased in safeguarding our province from the ill effects of using illegal drugs. And even now that we are in the middle of a health crisis, we will still carry on with our mission of ensuring a safe and peaceful community for the continuous development of our beloved Pampanga,” Pineda said in a statement. (PNA)
