A total of 119 policemen have undergone a surprise drug testing upon orders from Col. Alexander Lorenzo, the new Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director.
Lt. Leah May Alameda, ZCPO information officer, said Saturday the group is composed of 76 personnel from the 1st Zamboanga City Mobile Force Company (1ZCMFC) and 43 drug enforcement operatives from six police stations.
There are 11 police stations and two mobile force companies under the command of the ZCPO covering the city’s 98 barangays, including eight island villages.
Alameda said the 1ZCMFC personnel underwent a drug test on Friday, while the drug enforcement operatives took theirs on Tuesday.
“No results yet were released,” Alameda said, citing the drug test formed part of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) internal cleansing.
She said Lorenzo is supportive of his personnel for as long they are performing the tasks given to them.
Lorenzo has warned that he will not hesitate to press charges against policemen found to be involved in illegal activities, especially illegal drugs, smuggling, illegal gambling, and others, according to Alameda.
“It (internal cleansing) will be my focus to keep my house clean,” Lorenzo told reporters in an interview after his assumption of command at the ZCPO headquarters.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo introduced a physical fitness program and encouraged his personnel to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The physical fitness program, dubbed as the “10,000 steps program,” that Lorenzo had initiated entered its second day.
The program involves overweight ZCPO personnel doing early morning stretches and brisk walking from Barangay Pasonanca to the city proper.
“This program aims to [let police officers] achieve 10,000 steps daily as it is also a good cardio exercise aside from losing weight,” Lorenzo said.
He said it is in line with his Guided Platforms in the continuous conduct of their Internal Cleansing program in maintaining their police officers’ standard body mass index, pursuant to the Philippine National Police Memorandum Circular 2020-029 “Revised PNP Comprehensive Health and Physical Fitness Program” by the PNP.
Source: Philippines News Agency
