INAUGURATION AND BLESSING OF BALAY SILANGAN
Municipality of Pilar, Sorsogon
June 18, 2021
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine National Police(PNP), Local Government Unit of Pilar along with other National Government Agencies converge to join the Inauguration and Blessing of Balay Silangan in the municipality of Pilar, Sorsogon today, June 18, 2021 at 9:00 in the morning.
The ceremony commences with the Blessing and Ribbon Cutting of the Balay Silangan Facility by the Parish Priest of the Our Lady of the Pillar Shrine, Rev. Fr. Alberto Futol and was followed immediately by a simple program held at Bonifacio Covered Court.
The opening message of Pilar Mayor Carolyn C. Sy-Reyes gives importance to the value of a home, a shelter to find comfort, solace, security and love., it emphasizes the efforts of the government to provide a shelter that will bring back the “life” that has been broken and shattered when someone has been lost to see the light because of drugs. The desire to clear the municipality from illegal drugs should be backed up by the intention to offer a shelter to rise up again from woundedness and extricate from the darkness that has been shadowing all throughout the struggle to have a better future. Her assurance of support to PDEA and PNP in the furtherance of its mission concluded her message.
On the other hand, PCOL Arturo P. Brual, Jr., the Sorsogon PPO Provincial Director appreciates the effort of the Mayor to reach out to his office for peace and order matters and other concerns being the only Local Chief Executive to do such action. He compared the Balay Silangan to a rising and a setting sun, it is all about giving “second chances” to those whose productive and fruitful years has been robbed by the ill effects of illegal drugs. The Balay Silangan is a sheer hope to getting to life again. His words of assurance to the municipality of Pilar to be a backbone to Mayor’s quest for Standard of Excellence ends his message.
PDEA’s Provincial Director, Adrian D. Fajardo, informed the group of attendees that Balay Silangan is part of the Harm Reduction Approach of the Reformation Program which is also one major requirement before a municipality can be declared by the Regional Oversight Committee as drug-cleared municipality. To date, three (3) more barangays of Pilar are waiting for the certification that they satisfactorily comply with the established parameters for the declaration of Drug-Cleared Barangays from the ROC after its hearing on June 22, 2021.
Balay Silangan being a reformatory facility for drug offenders will provide general interventions, like continuing education and health awareness and psychological/ spiritual/ physical activities such as counseling, moral recovery, values formation personal and life skills, among others in order to help them become independently productive, law-abiding citizens so they can be mainstreamed back into the society.
Among the highlights were the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Manifesto of Commitment from all concerned agencies. ( Pilar PIO)
Source: PDEA
Messages from the Key Personalities
Photos: Office of the PIO
