Absence of Balay Silangan 

Drug clearing predicament 

CORTES, Bohol, Dec 5 (PIA) – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Bohol finds a major predicament in declaring towns cleared of drugs, that none of Bohol towns has been cleared. 

PDEA Bohol chief Joseph Theodore Atila shared that the absence of a Balay Silangan, a facility specifically designed for surrendered drug personalities who are not just drug dependents and users. 

Here is where they are given interventions, counselling and livelihood with the goal of helping them become independently productive law abiding citizens when they can be mainstreamed back into the society. 

Speaking during the recent Kapihan sa PIA pushing for drug awareness in time for the national drug awareness week, Atila said that the absence of a drug reformatory facility in Bohol makes local government units lack one major requirement before they can be declared by the Regional Oversight Committee as drug-cleared. 

To date, he said they have only cleared as little as 393 or 35 percent of Bohol’s 1109 barangays. 

These however is a declaration that can be reverted as soon as the barangay fails to satisfactorily comply with the established parameters for declaring drug-cleared barangays after the local government unit has been declared drug-affected. 

These parameters include absence of drug supply, drug-transshipment activity, clandestine drug laboratory, clandestine drug warehouse, drug-chemical warehouse, marijuana cultivation site, drug den, drug dive or drug resort, drug user, drug pusher and drug protector or coddler. 

The parameters also include active involvement of barangay officials in anti-drug activities, SK active involvement in maintaining drug-free status, existence of drug-awareness, preventive education and information and other related programs as well as the existence of voluntary and compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation processing help desks. 

This is aside from the organization and institutionalization of the Barangay Anti Drug Abuse Council (BADAC), the BADAC Auxiliary Team, who shall implement the three phases of drug clearing operations. 

In the level of town drug clearing operations, while the Center for Drug Education and Counselling and local drug reformation program can be available for drug users and drug dependents in the matrix intensive Out-patient Program for community based drug intervention program, those drug pushers who voluntarily or are placed in mandatory medical rehabilitation or reformatory rehabilitation. 

Here is where Balay Silangan fills the gap. 

In consideration of those who surrendered as a result of the government’s revitalized anti-drugs campaign, the PDEA is supposed to lead the implementation of LGU-led program designed to provide family-based in-house reformation of drug offenders. 

Balay Silangan, possibly one established inside police or military camps for better security, should also have sleeping quarters, restrooms and showers areas, classrooms or plenary areas, messhall, pantry or kitchen, library, chapel, recreational areas, workshops, and a clinic. 

These, PDEA Bohol said, should be LGU operated and managed, according to the guidelines issued by the PDEA and the National Oversight Committee. 

The absence of a Balay Silangan in Bohol could well be the reason why those drug offenders who availed of the government’s plea bargaining agreement have no place to go when they are not eligible for admission in a facility-based drug treatment and rehabilitation, a drug advocate who openly aired his dismay said he has kept track of the local government’s plan to build one, until the plan simply sizzled out. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol) 

BIG CATCH. PDEA Bohol scored another big catch when it apprehended in a buy-bust operation, over P200K worth of dangerous drugs. Another bigger catch they have to worry about is what happens to drug offenders who opt to finally fix their lives and without a rehabilitation facility that could adopt them and get them with the proper skills to be productive and not backslide. (PIABohol/PDEABohol)