Lawyer Ebenezer Daryl Manzano, head of the Mandaue City Substance Abuse and Prevention Office (MCSAPO), told Sunstar Cebu on Saturday, July 29, 2023, that the project was discussed during a meeting between the MCSAPO, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) last Wednesday, July 26.
The program called Balay Silangan, developed by PDEA under the direction of DILG, aims to adopt a family-based in-house reformation by providing intervention, counseling, and livelihood to help the drug offenders become productive and law-abiding citizens upon their reintegration into the society.
Manzano said the old Department of General Services (DGS) building located in Sitio Dungguan, Barangay Basak will be renovated by the city to become the Bahay Silangan Reformation facility.
He said that after the renovations are complete, which is expected to happen sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, at least 194 drug surrenderers would be allowed admission to the Balay Silangan facility.
“They (drug surrenderers) will be there for one-month mandatory in-house stay which will be shouldered by the Mandaue City government,” said Manzano, adding this is one of their approaches to combat illegal drugs and produce more drug-cleared barangays.
Currently, Mandaue has 10 out of 27 barangays that have been declared drug cleared.
These are barangays Subangdaku, Bakilid, Tabok, Labogon, Tipolo, Canduman, Casuntingan, Paknaan, Maguikay and Mantuyong. (HIC with PR)
