Mandatory drug testing in Pasay

The Pasay City Council overrode Mayor Jovito Claudio's veto of an ordinance requiring a drug test for all city hall employees and all job applicants seeking public or private employment in the city.

Even Claudio's allies sided with opposition councilors in overriding his veto, citing the urgency to address the growing drug menace in the city.

City administrator Phydias Ramos, however, speaking on Claudio's behalf, clarified yesterday that the veto was purely aimed at fine-tuning the implementing guidelines for mandatory drug testing.

Claudio, in exercising his veto power over Ordinance No. 1612, series of 1999, which requires the mandatory drug tests, said he is not insensitive to the prevailing drug problem.

"But the passage of this piece of legislation, although responsive to the needs of time, would, however, impose additional burdens on our striving workers and hopeful applicants sustained by every centavo found in their pockets, especially in these trying times," he said.

Each employee or job applicant, as required by the city ordinance, will be charged P300 for the drug test.

Despite the explanation, the entire 14-member city council threatened to file administrative charges against the mayor if he will not enforce the ordinance.

The ordinance also regulates the issuance of work permits and health clearances for public and private employment.

It also set aside P200,000 from the General Fund of the City for the acquisition of Urine Drug Test Kits and mandated the Pasay City General Hospital to conduct the drug tests.

Introduced by Vice Mayor Greg Alcera, the city ordinance also aims at curbing drug abuse among the sex-workers masquerading as Guests Relations Officers (GROs) working in the city's red light district.