Bahay Silangan opens in Piddig

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff Reporter

Piddig, Ilocos Norte—A two-storey drug reformation and rehabilitation center is now open to serve former drug dependents in this town.

In a simple program during the opening and blessing of the newly-refurbished Bahay Silangan building located at Brgy. Anao here, just within the compound of the former Gakki Center in the municipality, Piddig Mayor Engr. Eduardo “Eddie” Guillen hopes the building will become a functional structure equipped with a state-of-the-art municipal library that will be open round the clock.

“We want the building to be highly functional so there will be computers with high-speed internet so everybody can use it anytime and it’s free,” said Mr. Guillen.

According to the mayor, having an accessible internet connection is now a necessity these days.

“Generally, when it comes to macro managing, people become more productive when they have access to internet as it provides them boundless opportunities to learn new things,” he explained.

At the second floor of the building are double deck rooms, a fitness center, and a classroom where reforming drug offenders can seek temporary refuge with the guidance of concerned authorities. Inside the Bahay Silangan, former drug addicts may go through values formation and livelihood trainings in preparation for their reintegration to the community. There will also be life coaching skills training to prevent them from returning to their old ways.

In Piddig town, police record shows there were around 150 drug personalities who surrendered and they just recently completed their month-long drug-rehabilitation program.

To date, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is currently working closely with other local government units to adopt the reformation program and replicate it in their localities.