LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The Pangasinan provincial board led by Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim, Jr. has authorized Gov. Amado “Pogi” I. Espino III to sign and accept a donation of a two-hectare lot in Burgos town as site for the establishment of a drug rehabilitation center in Pangasinan.
As stated in Provincial Resolution No. 275-2016 which was approved by the august body in its regular session on November 28, “the lot can be used primarily by the province as a venue for rehabilitation center in order to cater and respond to the needs of those who are to undergo treatment and change their old ways of drug dependency to being drug free and go back to the normal society.”
It can be recalled that in 1992, former Burgos town mayor Demetrio Cabiles, who was the owner of the property, donated the lot to the provincial government to serve as the site of a drug rehabilitation center that time.
As such, a Deed of Donation (DOD) was executed between Cabiles (with the marital consent of his wife Belen), and the provincial government.
Unfortunately, the donation was not yet consummated until now as the DOD was not signed inadvertently by then Governor Aguedo F. Agbayani and the lot was not yet accepted by the province as well.
Meanwhile, it was stated as a condition in the DOD that in the event that the construction of the proposed drug rehabilitation center that time does not materialize for whatever reason within a period of three years upon its execution, the ownership and possession of the property shall be reverted to the donor without need of any authority, clearance or judicial action or power whatsoever.
With the death of the donor, Provincial Legal Officer Geraldine U. Baniqued disclosed that Gov. Pogi instructed Col. Luchinvar Oro to meet with the lone heir on behalf of the provincial government.
Baniqued noted that the legal heir, in return, signified his intention to carry out the donation of the property to the provincial government.
However, the legal officer cited that while there is a need of urgency for the provincial government to commence with the undertaking, it has to clear air in terms of legality first.
The resolution, which was authored by Sanggunian Panlalawigan Members Jeremy Agerico Rosario, Clemente Arboleda, Jr. and Noel C. Bince, will now serve as a kick-off to the envisioned program of the Espino administration to give chance to drug surrenderers who are willing to reform their lives.
In connection with this, Rosario noted that the establishment of a drug rehabilitation center in Pangasinan is parallel with the national government’s program on anti-illegal drugs.
As to the funding, Rosario said the present administration will look for ways on how to realize the project to include tapping the support of national agencies like the PCSO and the DOH.
By Dexter A. See
