Cebu ready for random drug tests

CEBU – Twenty teams from the Department of Health and Department of Education central offices in Manila will be coming to Cebu on February 16 for the random drug tests on selected high school and university students.

Jocelyn Abellana of DOH-7 said the teams will bring with them the kits needed for the tests.

Abellana said only samples of urine will be taken from the subjects and that the testing laboratory of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center will be utilized to analyze the samples.

Marcial Degamo, head of the secondary division of DepEd regional office, said a memorandum has already been disseminated to all 55 city schools and 57 private schools on the random drug testing.

He said included in the memorandum is the random drug testing notification signed by all students and parents from high schools here.

Meanwhile, Abellana said the 10 students from Region 7 tested positive during a random drug testing conducted nationwide among 8,670 students from 287 high schools in 2007.

Sixty-seven tested positive nationwide, 10 of which were from Central Visayas. Of the 10, three were found positive of marijuana use, three of shabu use, and four for using bottled drugs.

But Abellana explained that contrary to what many people think, a person found positive of drug use is not necessary a drug dependent. She then warned that the subjects of the test must divulge if they are using certain drugs for treatment of illnesses, as some medicines would reportedly yield positive results during the test. 

Drug Test Legal

From a legal perspective, Cebu Regional Trial Court executive judge Meinrado Paredes said the drug testing is constitutional, as long as it remains random and suspicion-less, as indicated in Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

Citing the law, Paredes said a “student of secondary and tertiary schools shall, pursuant to the related rules and regulations as contained in the schools’ student hand book and with notice to the parents, undergo random drug testing.”

Paredes said that while the tests are required, it should be conducted randomly and without suspicion.

He said those who will be found positive of drug use as a result of the random drug testing are not necessarily treated as criminals and may even be exempt from criminal liability should they consent to undergo rehabilitation. 

Further look on confidentiality aspect needed

The Commission on Human Rights, on the other hand, is calling on the government to further study the confidentiality aspect of the tests, especially on those that would be found positive for drug use.

Leo Villarino of CHR-7 stringent rules must be in place on how a school treats the results of the tests especially that they may impose sanctions on a student proven to be using or dependent on prohibited or illegal drugs.

CHED-7 director Candelario Aytona assured CHR that utmost confidentiality will be observed, considering that a student found positive is yet to be subjected to a thorough investigation before appropriate sanctions are imposed. — Johanna Natavio/JMO (THE FREEMAN)