Users, losers

Eight policemen, including a chief inspector, have been found positive for using illegal drugs following the mandatory drug testing conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) at Camp Crame last Monday.

Deputy Director General Edgardo Aglipay, head of the PNP anti-drugs task force, said the eight officers, among the 1,079 policemen who submitted urine samples, would be subjected to administrative proceedings.

Apart from the chief inspector, three PO1s, two PO2s and two PO3s were found to be drug users.

Aglipay, who is also PNP deputy chief for administration, refused to identify the eight policemen pending the conduct of confirmatory testing by the PNP Crime Laboratory on their urine samples.

"After the confirmatory test, we will reveal the names of the policemen who tested positive for drug use," he said.

Director Jose Lalisan, chief of the directorate for personnel, said the eight cops could face dismissal if they also test positive in the confirmatory tests.

"For those found positive for the use of illegal drugs, they will be relieved from their positions. If found positive again after confirmatory tests, they will be subjected to summary hearing procedures," he said.

Aglipay said that the eight policemen are assigned to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and offices in Regions 2 and 4.

Among those who submitted urine samples were 211 police commissioned officer (PCOs), 764 police non-commissioned officers (PNCOs), 65 non-uniformed personnel and 11 civilians, including Interior and Local Government Sec. Joey Lina.

Twenty-eight members of the PNP Press Corps tested negative for drug use.

The urine samples were subjected to laboratory tests to determine the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and methylamphetamine, which are indicative of recent use of either marijuana or shabu and its derivatives.

"Out of the 1,079 urine specimen submitted for screening analysis, eight or 0.7 percent were found to be positive. These specimens, however, will be subjected to further confirmatory testing which will take about seven days to complete," Aglipay said.

Top PNP officials said the police leadership had laid out the rules and regulations on drug testing, as mandated by law, to ensure the credibility of the procedures.

"It is expected that some of them will challenge the results. One of more common excuses is that they were taking food supplements. There are some procedures we have adopted precisely to pre-empt such challenges," said Chief Superintendent Rolando Garcia, chief of the PNP directorate for research and development.

Humiliation

Southern Police District (SPD) officers who will be found positive for illegal drugs will not be spared from public humiliation.

SPD director Chief Superintendent Jose Gutierrez Jr. said yesterday he would not hesitate to announce the names of policemen found to be using illegal drugs in a press release.

Every week, the SPD informs the press of its accomplishment in its campaign against illegal drugs in a press release.

For the week of June 2 to 8, the SPD boasted of 41 apprehensions in street level drug trafficking. Of those arrested, 19 were suspected drug pushers and the rest were users.

The arrests led to the confiscation of 25.01 grams of metamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu and 8.4 grams of marijuana.

The illegal drugs seized had a total estimated value of P50,188.

In the latest press release, Gutierrez noted that "small-time drug trafficking in most cases leads to street crimes" some of which are heinous.

Gutierrez said he was still waiting for the results of the random drug tests recently conducted among SPD policemen.

Appropriate charges would be filed against those found positive for illegal drugs aside from being subjected to rehabilitation, he added.

In Muntinlupa City, a total of 208 suspected drug users have been arrested by the city police Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU).

The suspects were arrested following tips received by the Crusade Against Drug Abuse (CRUSADA) text program of the city government.

City information officer Tez Valencia said the last apprehension was based on her own tip she texted to Vice Mayor Jojay Alcaraz.

Valencia said most of those arrested were small-time drug users and pushers.

"But Mayor Jaime Fresnedi and Vice Mayor Alcaraz want to catch the big ones," Valencia said.

Alcaraz has recently fired three members of his staff who were found positive for illegal drugs after undergoing a surprise random testing for city hall employees.

Tips can be sent to CRUSADA’s hotline 09207272311. – With Nikko Dizon