BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan ordered the City Health Services Office to finalize the schedule for the drug-testing of city officials and employees pursuant to the marching orders of the Duterte administration to have a drug-free society in the next several months.
The local chief executive said the 1,500-strong officials and employees of the city hall must undergo the required mandatory drug test in order to ascertain who among them are reportedly involved in the use of prohibited drugs to guide concerned offices on how to deal with them.
“We have to arrange the schedule of our officials and employees relative to the conduct of the required drug test to avoid overcrowding in the city health office. We already have the available budget for the mandatory drug test of our officials and employees that is why there is no reason for the local government to delay the conduct of the said test,” Domogan stressed.
City Health Officer Rowena Galpo revealed at least P90,000 has been made available by the local government to fund the initial drug test of the officials and employees which will be done anytime.
According to her, the drug test will be closely coordinated with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) pursuant to the existing rules and regulations crafted for the conduct of such test for government workers.
Domogan added officials and employees found to be using illegal drugs based on the results of the drug test will undergo the necessary due process before being meted the appropriate penalties as prescribed under existing rules and regulations.
He explained those officials and employees who need to undergo the confirmatory test after testing positive in the drug test will have to shoulder the expenses for such test as it will be part of his or her move to contest the initial results of the drug tests conducted on them.
He said the schedule to be prepared by the City Health Services Office will remain confidential to prevent those using prohibited drugs from preparing themselves to test negative.
The City Mayor claimed there had been reports some employees had been involved in the use of prohibited drugs through the years and it is now the time for them to prove their accusers wrong by being able to test negative during their scheduled drug test because they will have to undergo the tedious process of various tests once they will test positive for the use of illegal drugs.
Aside from the confirmatory test, those who tested positive for illegal drugs will have to undergo a drug examination to be administered by an expert as part of the tests lined up to ascertain whether or not an individual is involved in the use of prohibited drugs.
By Dexter A. See
