INSPECTION. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) executives and staff inspect the new Balay Silangan Reformation Center in Asingan, Pangasinan on Friday (July 29, 2022). Set to be inaugurated in August, it will be the fifth Balay Silangan in the entire province. (Photo courtesy of PDEA-Pangasinan)
ASINGAN, Pangasinan – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Pangasinan provincial office is set to inaugurate in August the new Balay Silangan Reformation Center in this town, the fifth in the entire province.
In a video message posted on social media on Sunday, PDEA-Pangasinan director Rechie Camacho said the local government unit initiated the construction of the center and they have already inspected the facility which is now almost finished.
“The municipal government has allotted funding for the Balay Silangan. The reformists from this town and the nearby towns will be housed in the center once completed,” he said.
Initial clients of the center will undergo general interventions like continuing education, health awareness, psychological, spiritual, and physical activities such as counseling, moral recovery, values formation, and personal and life skills, he noted.
“There are three phases to the community-based rehabilitation at the center. The first phase is the mandatory in-house rehabilitation wherein clients will learn about the ill effects of illegal drugs and the related laws. In phase two, the clients will be outpatients wherein they will undergo counseling and consultation by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and moral recovery programs by religious sectors,” Camacho said.
He added that the third phase is the livelihood program with assistance from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, and even private companies.
Camacho said the establishment of the Balay Silangan was required of every local government unit (LGU) in the entire country to attain drug-cleared status.
The other Balay Silangan centers in the province are in Sison, Basista and Balungao towns, and in San Carlos City. (PNA)
