MANILA, Philippines -The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency announced on Tuesday that it received laboratory equipment from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to bolster the former's capability to accurately examine dangerous drugs.
The laboratory equipment were a Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometry and two Chromatograph/Flame Ionization Detectors.
PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac Jr. said the laboratory equipment will help facilitate and expedite dangerous drugs laboratory examination.
"These analytical laboratory equipment will help arresting officers establish a reasonable ground to prove that the arrested persons have the physical signs, symptoms or visible manifestation of being under the influence of dangerous drugs.
"A confirmatory test using these laboratory equipment is an accepted method for establishing that drug evidence will be valid in courts of law," Cacdac said.
Section 38, Article III of Republic Act 9165, or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 states that “If found to be positive, the results of the screening laboratory examination or test shall be challenged within fifteen days after receipt of the result through a confirmatory test conducted in any accredited analytical laboratory equipment with a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry equipment."
The laboratory equipment, which were delivered to PDEA Laboratory Service last June 14, were formally turned over to the PDEA by Brian Goldbeck, Deputy Chief of Mission, United States Embassy, Manila, during simple ceremony on Tuesday at the PDEA national headquarters in Quezon City.