Purchase of 1,000 drug test kits okayed

CEBU, Philippines - The proposed purchase of 1,000 drug testing kits to be used in the campaign to rid the city government of employees using drugs has been approved by the Cebu City Council.

Councilor Augustus Pe Jr., chairman of the Committee on Peace and Order and Safety of the Cebu City Council, explained that there is a need to purchase more drug testing kits because the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention has already run out of supply.

COSAP executive assistant Felix Jose Lazarte said in their inventory conducted last February 1, there are only 310 drug testing kits left in their stockroom, not enough to be used for various drug testing activities for this year.

Lazarte said COSAP has been continuously conducting surprise drug tests on employees of various government offices, barangays and newly-hired government workers.

Each US-made drug testing kit costs P150 each in all the purchase will cost P150,000.

Aside from the City Hall employees who were subjected to surprise drug tests, COSAP also conducted surprise drug tests on employees of various barangays in the city, including Guadalupe where three tanods were found positive of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu.

Lazarte, however, cannot assure that all of those employees who had been found positive of illegal drugs were dismissed by their barangay officials.

For his part, Guadalupe barangay captain Eugenio Faelnar assured he will terminate from their job those who are found to be drug users. It was Faelnar himself who requested for a surprise drug test to be conducted on his employees.

COSAP employees, in coordination with the personnel of the PNP Crime Laboratory Service, have already conducted surprise drug tests on personnel of several barangays of the city, including Cogon-Ramos, Labangon, T. Padilla and Lorega-San Miguel in the previous years.

Six barangay workers in barangay Lorega-San Miguel have been found positive of illegal drugs, while one was found in Cogon-Ramos and another in T. Padilla. –Rene U. Borromeo/BRP   (FREEMAN NEWS)