11 governmentt workers test positive of illegal drugs

CEBU, Philippines — At least 11 government workers in Cebu province tested positive of drug use in the series of drug tests conducted by Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office (CPADAO) in April.

CPADAO chief Carmen Remedios Durano-Meca said 10 traffic enforcers from Minglanilla town and one employee from the City of Naga tested positive of drug use, particularly shabu, during the onsite screening.

In April alone, CPADAO conducted five separate drug tests in different offices. A total of 247 government workers submitted themselves to the procedure that examines whether they took the illegal drug "methamphetamine hydrochloride," or locally known here as "shabu."

Meth is known as a highly addictive stimulant that causes its user irreversible harm, physically and mentally.

Meca said on April 15, at least 38 traffic enforcers of Minglanilla underwent the drug testing and 10 of them who are job order employees tested positive during the screening.

On April 22, Meca said another 67 employees from the City of Naga were subjected to a drug test and one of them showed positive results.

Meca said it’s up to the local chief executives to decide what administrative sanctions the erring employees will have to face. They are still waiting for the result of the confirmatory test.

The rest of CPADAO's drug tests had good results, which means none of the employees showed indications of drug use.

Meca said last April 1, at least 53 personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) assigned in Cebu province were picked during the random drug testing and all tested negative.

BJMP-7 has earlier partnered with CPADAO for the conduct of the drug tests.

Meca said CPADAO also screened barangay workers from two separate drug testing activities in Danao City, 42 workers of Barangay Binaliw conducted on April 5 and 47 workers of Barangay Quisol done last April 8.

All tested negative, she added. (FREEMAN)