118 of Gothong school teachers pass drug test

CEBU, Philippines - It was good news for Don Carlos A. Gothong Memorial High School, the third school in Cebu City to undergo the mandatory drug test for public school educators.

This after at least 118 day-shift school personnel, comprising 111 teachers and seven non-teaching staff, were found negative for illegal drug use during a surprise drug screening conducted by Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) last Tuesday.

However, the public school located in Barangay San Nicolas has not yet been declared as drug-free since nine teachers were not present during the test.

The school was put on a hot seat as its campus is situated near barangays Pasil, Duljo-Fatima, Ermita and A. Lopez Street, which are identified as seriously affected by illegal drugs.

School principal Maria Elena Labrada expressed optimism that no one from the staff would test positive for drug use, although, she said, they are more than willing to assist those who will be discovered as “drug victims.”

 Alice Utlang, who heads COSAP, said they are conducting the drug test not to denounce the identified drug users but instead help them through early interventions.

Aside from heeding the order of the Department of Education-7 to conduct the mandatory drug test, Utlang said they want to emphasize that a “drug free community starts with the teachers” by serving as role model to their students.

COSAP is prioritizing in its drug testing program the big schools in the city that are identified based on the number of their faculty personnel and volume of students.

Cebu City division, one of the 19 school divisions in Central Visayas, has a total of 122 public schools.

So far, the only school in the city declared as drug-free is Talamban National High School, which was the first to undergo the drug test on July 1. All 89 teachers from the school tested negative for drug use.

Close to 200 personnel of the Abellana National School, on the other hand, considered the biggest government school in the city and the second school to undergo the test on July 14, also tested negative of illegal drugs.

However, the school cannot still be considered as a drug-free workplace yet since 16 out of 181 teachers were not around during the test. Out of the 16, 10 were absent, two were on maternity leave, another two set to retire next month, and two more attended a meeting and a seminar.

COSAP has yet to set another schedule for the remaining teachers to undergo the test. — (FREEMAN)