Dagupan City Inaugurates 12th Balay Silangan: A Step Towards Drug Rehabilitation and Community Support

 Dagupan City Inaugurates 12th Balay Silangan Reformation Center for Drug Rehabilitation"

On Friday, the province of Pangasinan saw the inauguration of the 12th Balay Silangan Reformation Center in Dagupan City, marking a crucial step towards achieving a drug-cleared status. The center, situated in Barangay Poblacion Oeste, boasts a 24-bed capacity and is set to accommodate 11 initial clients who will undergo a comprehensive rehabilitation program.

Retchie Camacho, the director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Pangasinan, explained that the center will specifically cater to street-level pushers, excluding users and those targeted in the program. The screening process is ongoing in the city's 31 villages to determine the number of clients for subsequent batches.

Camacho emphasized that, for the time being, the center will exclusively serve clients from Dagupan City, as the facility is integral to the local anti-illegal drugs campaign. Only four out of the 31 villages have obtained drug-cleared status thus far.

The initial clients at the center will undergo a month-long in-house rehabilitation, followed by the second and third phases of their program outside the facility. Mayor Belen Fernandez outlined the comprehensive services the clients will receive, including counseling sessions, health education, values formation, and personal and life skills training for drug reform.

To provide immediate support, the city government has furnished each of the 11 clients with food packs and PHP5,000 for their families. Mayor Fernandez also appealed for the backing of the city's barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth) councils in the local government's anti-illegal drugs initiative. She encouraged the drug reformists to seize the opportunity for change and strive for a better life.(PNA)