By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The first Balay Silangan Reformation Center in Negros Occidental was inaugurated in Pulupandan town yesterday.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-6 regional director Edgar Apalla and Director Donelyn Hemedez, along with Mayor Miguel Antonio Peña represented by Municipal Administrator Federico Infante, and Negros Occidental police director Colonel Romy Palgue, represented by Major Renante Jomocan and Captain Rey Tolosa of Regional Community Affairs and Development Division led the inauguration of the center located at Sitio Pukatod, Barangay Pag-ayon.
Investigation Agent V Nicolas Gomez, PDEA-Negros Occidental head, said the center is expected to be operational early 2021.
The center is intended for drug pushers who surrendered or were released through plea bargaining, Gomez said, adding that these persons may need to undergo one-month inhouse rehabilitation.
The center should have a hall, quarters for male and female, toilets, gardening area, area for recreation and training, among others.
Gomez said the local government unit funded the construction of the facility.
With the establishment of the center, the town may apply for a drug-free town, as long as all the drug-cleared barangays can pass the re-evaluation by next year, he added.
Meanwhile, Apalla urged authorities to maintain their program and projects. “Huwag nating pabayaan na bumalik sila sa dati nilang buhay,” he added.
The Pulupandan Balay Silangan Reformation Center is the 24th in Western Visayas.
It is the national drug reformation program offers temporary refuge with the objective of reforming drug offenders into self-sufficient and law-abiding members of society by virtue of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Reg. No. 2, Series of 2018.
