Section 46 of R.A. No. 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, provides that “With the assistance of the Board, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the National Youth Commission (NYC), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) shall establish in each of its Local/Municipal/provincial office. Special Drug Education Center (SDEC) for Out-of-School Youth (OSY) and street children”. 

Pursuant to the above-mentioned provision, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) promulgated Board Regulation No.1, s. 2003, providing for the guidelines on the establishment and operationalization of the Special Drug Education Center (SDEC). Based on the said Board Regulation, SDEC is defined as a community-based facility, which serves as a venue in promoting preventive and developmental services for the OSY and street children. It shall promote programs for drug abuse prevention with the end in view of educating the OSY and street children regarding the pernicious effects of drug abuse thereby contributing to their total development as self-reliant and socially responsible member of the society. 

Relative to the above, this Department Memorandum Circular issued a Circular entitled “Establishment and Operation of Special Drug Education Centers (SDEC) for out of school youth (OSY) and street children” dated November 07, 2006. The said circular provides the implementing policies on SDECs. With the growing demands of anti-illegal drugs intervention, and to update the said policy to include new guidelines, processes, and tools to better implement SDECs, thus DILG issued MC 2021-001 Amending DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2006-150 on Establishment and Operation Of Special Drug Education Centers (SDEC) dated January 4, 2021.