THE official establishment of the Balay Silangan in Dagupan City was snagged after the  committee on dangerous drugs of the Sangguniang Panlungsod cancelled its hearing last June 6.

According to City Secretary Ryan Ravanzo, officials from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) regional office arrived in the city to respond to further queries from the committee about the plan of the city government to establish and operate Balay Silangan in Dagupan.

The cancellation was followed by the committee members’ absence in the regular session that resulted in the adjournment because of lack of quorum.

The initial hearing was already conducted by the committee headed by Councilor Redford  Erfe-Mejia, which was attended by P/Lt. Colonel Brendon Palisoc and the head of the City Social Welfare and Planning Development Office, Manny Palaganas of the Planning Office.

The committee members said they wanted to know more about Balay Silangan’s operations, how different it is from the Drug  Rehabilitation and Treatment Center of the Department of Health, whether there is legal basis for its establishment, what are the qualifications of those who will operate it.

Balay Silangan is a required facility of PDEA to speed up a local government’s transition from drug-affected to drug-free status.

Only a few towns in Pangasinan have yet to establish their respective Balay Silangan, among these are Manaoag and San Carlos City. (Leonardo Micua)

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