Capas, Tarlac - The province of Tarlac has inaugurated its fifth Balay Silangan Reformation Center in Barangay Cutcut 1st, Capas. The facility, launched on Wednesday, is designed to serve as a temporary shelter for former drug users, offering them intervention programs aimed at reintegrating them as self-sufficient and law-abiding members of society. Capas Mayor Roseller Rodriguez expressed the town's commitment to supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration of voluntarily surrendered drug personalities through livelihood and training programs.
According to Philippines News Agency, The reformation program, a collaborative effort between the municipal government of Capas and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), was inaugurated with a memorandum of agreement signed by PDEA and local officials. The interventions planned include continuing education, health awareness, psychological, spiritual, and physical activities such as counseling, moral recovery, values formation, and personal life skills training. Additionally, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will provide livelihood and skills training. The event was attended by PDEA-Central Luzon Deputy Regional Director Jill Salamanca-Verceles, PDEA-Tarlac Intelligence Officer III Dheo Tabor, and other local officials.
The establishment of Balay Silangan Reformation Centers is a mandatory requirement for local government units in the Philippines to achieve a drug-cleared status. The other facilities in Tarlac are located in Gerona, Camiling, Victoria, and Moncada. With this inauguration, Central Luzon now has 39 Balay Silangan Reformation Centers.