Osmeña: We’ll fund drug test for inmates, jailers

CEBU, Philippines - While Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña expressed support to relieve jail officers conniving with inmates, he said the city government will assist the conduct of mandatory drug testing among jail officers and inmates.

In a press conference yesterday, he said all erring jail officers do not deserve to stay at the facility and accept the incentives the city is providing if they collude with the inmates.

“It’s very simple. If they cannot serve properly, if they cannot earn their salaries, why do we waste our money on them?” he said.

He made the statement after learning of an ongoing evaluation and reassignment of six jail officers of the Cebu City Jail following the confiscation of several contrabands.

As for the drug testing, the mayor said the city will support it through City Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP).

He said COSAP will conduct the drug testing and that the city government will not give funds to the jail.

“The implication…it depends. We have to find out first if it is an alarming situation, which we need time and effort to analyze the problem…. If it’s not alarming, we are not going out of our way to institute time-consuming and expensive measures,” he said.

Osmeña said the budget for the drug testing should either be charged against the peace and order funds of the city or to the upcoming supplemental budget this year.

City Jail Warden Arnel Peralta had asked the assistance from the city government for the drug testing of all the 4,350 inmates.

He said the drug test will not be mandatory but those found still using drugs would be made to undergo rehabilitation.

Osmeña, though, said the drug testing should be mandatory for all jail officers and inmates.

“Of course, it should be mandatory. It’s only logical that those who are into drugs will not allow themselves to be tested,” he said.

At first, the mayor said the drug testing is “useless” since the inmates are inside the jail facility.

But, he later said that the drug testing could be used as a way of monitoring possible illegal activities present inside the jail. (FREEMAN)