By Leonardo Micua

GIVEN the gravity of the drug problem today as gleaned from the warning of DILG that more than 400 of our incumbent barangay officials are involved in illegal drugs, and a few law enforcers are possibly in cahoots with the drug lords, what is the seven-man majority in the Dagupan City council up to, questioning the establishment of a Balay Silangan?

This was gleaned during the first hearing conducted by the seven-man SP majority attended by no less than the new chief of police, P/Lt. Colonel Brendon Palisoc. One of the seven reportedly demanded to be convinced of the “sustainability” of the Balay Silangan project before giving his imprimatur, then asked for an additional hearing to be conducted on the matter.

We hope the resolution requested by Mayor Belen Fernandez to formalize the Balay Silangan will not follow the fate of similar major pieces of legislation that were thrashed into the dust bin after several endless hearings, i.e. the  Supplemental Budget No. 1,  and the Personnel Selection Board, which is still in limbo after five committee hearings.

Recall that the annual city budget for 2023 also took endless committee hearings by the ruling majority councilors only to pass a totally watered down P864.91 million, and now runs the risk of being declared as inoperative in its entirety by the Department of Budget and Management reviewing it.

Soon, many other towns and cities of Pangasinan will have their respective Balay Silangan in faithful compliance with the requirement of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to serve as a reformation house for drug pushers who voluntarily surrendered and ready to turn their backs on their nefarious activities so they can return to normal life with their loved ones.

It is not far-fetched to see Dagupan as the only LGU without a Balay Silangan, knowing how  the majority obstructs whatever good projects Mayor Belen has in store for her people.

The Balay Silangan in San Carlos City, one of the many LGUs that already put up the facility, we learned from the report of IFM Dagupan that drug pushers are being put through three-month residency program to ensure their rehabilitation and well-being.

The program includes two months soul-searching and value formation conducted by members of the religious sector or guidance counsellors, and another one month for livelihood training that seeks to prepare them to assume their roles as breadwinners for their families and as law-abiding citizens when they step out of Balay Silangan,

PDEA also made it known that without a Balay Silangan, a town or a city will not be declared drug-free by the provincial and regional evaluation committees.

That is why, it’s a must for all LGUs to put up the Balay Silangan to facilitate their transition to an environment that is drug-free. The Balay Silangan is LGU’s support to the demand reduction strategy in the campaign against illegal drugs, while the PDEA, police and other law enforcement agencies are operating on the supply reduction side.

Of course, Dagupan is zealous about wanting to become drug-free because only two of its 31 barangays are drug-free to date, namely Tebeng and Pogo Grande. With 29 barangays still drug-infected, it may be long while before Dagupan can meet the requirements to really become drug-free.

There is no doubt that the city needs a Balay Silangan to start rehabilitating drug pushers. Going by the reports of frequent drug buy-busts of the PDEA and the police, the number of drug street dealers must be increasing driven by poverty, lack of jobs and skills that make selling illegal drugs a lucrative livelihood.

The majority cannot and must not argue against or question the resolution initiated by the minority for the establishment of a Balay Silangan. And what is the point asking for its  “sustainability” when the urgency is already established.

Question: Is there still room for injecting politics into this initiative that is intended to save Dagupan and its people from the shackles of illegal drug syndicates?

Looking into the reports being sent by our photojournalist Butch Uka, who covers and takes photos of drug buy-busts conducted by the PDEA and the police, I dread to see what can become of our communities if we do not act in concert with law enforcement agencies in stamping out illegal drugs in our midst.

I rest my case!

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