After being idle for over a year, the Mandaue City Government’s Balay Silangan Rehabilitation Center in Barangay Basak will officially open on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
The facility will exclusively accommodate 20 to 30 Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) at a time who are ordered by the courts to undergo drug intervention and rehabilitation.
City Administrator Gonzalo Malig-on Jr. said the facility remained unused because the administration first had to secure operational requirements, including staffing and security, addressing Commission on Audit concerns.
AFTER remaining idle for more than a year, the Mandaue City Government’s Balay Silangan Rehabilitation Center in Barangay Basak will officially begin operations on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
The facility will provide court-ordered drug rehabilitation for Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs).
City Administrator Gonzalo Malig-on Jr. said the opening of the center marks a major milestone in the city’s anti-illegal drug campaign, as it will finally put into use a facility completed before the current administration assumed office.
According to Malig-on, although the rehabilitation center had already been built, it could not immediately accommodate clients because the city first had to complete several operational requirements.
He said when the new administration took office in 2025, the facility lacked trained personnel, security arrangements, and the logistical support needed to operate a rehabilitation center.
Because it remained unused, the Commission on Audit also raised concerns over the idle facility.
Over the past several months, the city government focused on making the center fully operational by recruiting and training counselors and staff, establishing security protocols, and ensuring the availability of food, supplies, and other essential resources.
“We had to ensure that the people, logistics, and operational systems were all in place before it could start serving its purpose,” said Malig-on, adding that the center has the capacity to accommodate 20 to 30 participants at any given time.
The rehabilitation center will exclusively admit PDLs ordered by the courts to undergo drug intervention and rehabilitation as part of their cases. The length of their stay will depend on the rehabilitation period prescribed by the court.
“Its opening will allow us to provide proper rehabilitation services to individuals ordered by the courts to undergo intervention,” said Malig-on.
Located in Barangay Basak, near the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Mandaue City Jail, the center is expected to strengthen the city’s rehabilitation program.
It will provide a secure environment where qualified PDLs can undergo treatment and intervention before reintegrating into society. / ABC