The 12th Balay Silangan Reformation Center in the province of Pangasinan was inaugurated here Friday, with an initial 11 clients who will undergo rehabilitation program.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Pangasinan director Retchie Camacho, in an interview, said the establishment of the center, located in Barangay Poblacion Oeste, is one of the steps for the city to attain a drug-cleared status.

He said the center has a 24-bed capacity but only 11 initial clients have passed the screening for the first batch.

“Only the street-level pushers will be catered in the center. The users and target-listed are not part of the program in the center,” he said, noting that screening in the 31 villages of the city is ongoing to determine the number of clients for the succeeding batches.

Camacho said the center will not yet entertain clients from other towns or cities since the locality will be using it for its own anti-illegal drugs campaign because only four of the 31 villages here have received drug-cleared status.

He said the center’s initial clients will undergo an in-house rehabilitation for a month and will have the second and third phases of their program outside of the center.

Mayor Belen Fernandez, in her speech during the inauguration program, said the clients will be given counseling sessions, health education, values formation, and personal and life skills training for drug reformists.

The city government has also provided food packs and PHP5,000 for each of the families of the 11 clients as an initial assistance.

Fernandez also sought the support of the city’s barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth) councils for the local government’s drive against illegal drugs.

She also asked the drug reformists to use the opportunity to change and make their lives better. (PNA)