PDEA backs QC gov't drug test for barangay officials

MANILA, Philippines - Alarmed by the growing number of barangay officials involved in illegal drugs, the Quezon City government plans to conduct drug testing for its village personnel, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Tuesday.

PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac Jr. said that Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, chairperson of the Quezon City Anti-Drug Abuse Advisory Council, is pushing for the drug testing after receiving reports that some barangay officials are hooked on illegal drugs.

Cacdac said that Belmonte feels there is a  need to provide an effective mechanism for drug abuse prevention within the city’s grassroots level.

"We appreciate the proposal of Vice Mayor Belmonte to cleanse their ranks. This is the very essence of leadership by example, showing their constituents that local executives have the moral ascendancy to lead and become active partners in the national crusade against the drug menace," Cacdac said.

"We have observed that a number of barangay officials are behind the illegal drug activities in their communities, or actually into substance abuse themselves. We need to address this problem and the Vice Mayor’s initiative of conducting drug tests for barangay officials will give renewed energy to the anti-drug programs already taking place in the grassroots level," he added.

In 2013, the PDEAD reported that 138 unscrupulous government officials, including 44 elected politicians, and 60 government employees and barangay functionaries, were arrested for drug-related offenses.