ILOILO CITY , Philippines — Ten of the 113 soldiers nationwide, who were recently found positive for using illegal drugs, are members of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), admitted 3rd ID commander Major Gen. Aurelio Baladad the other day.
None of them however were deployed to Panay and Negros islands, areas covered by the 3rd ID’s administration and operations, he said.
Baladad said, “All of the 10 are members of the 15th Infantry Battalion,†which is under the administrative control of the 3rd ID but under operational supervision of the 1st Infantry Division based in Zamboanga City.
The ten soldiers, all young male enlisted personnel, are now subjected for investigation that could lead to their discharge from service, Baladad said.
The unit was deployed to Marawi City and these soldiers are now undergoing retraining in Zamboanga del Sur. “They were found positive because of our own efforts to get rid of the organization of misfits,†he said.
Random drug test was conducted on personnel who were in suspicion of using illegal drugs. Similar tests were also done in Panay and Negros islands but nobody was tested positive.
Two weeks ago, the Armed Forces of the Philippines revealed that at least 113 soldiers were tested positive for drugs in random tests conducted last year by Task Force Moses, the AFP anti-drug body, among 20,000 military personnel around the country.
Of the number, the AFP said 13 were caught by tests conducted by Task Group Jacob on personnel of the General Headquarters, 12 by TG Joshua covering the Philippine Air Force (PAF), 18 by TG Salamander at the Philippine Navy and 70 by TG Midas at the Philippine Army. (FREEMAN)