A total of 436 personnel of the Police Regional Office in Northern Mindanao (PRO-10), including other offices in the regional headquarters, have tested negative for drugs.
In an interview Wednesday, Lt. Col. Michelle Olaivar, PRO-10 spokesperson, said the regional headquarters conducted a surprise random drug test initiated by Brig. Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr, the PRO-10 director, to the police commissioned and non-commissioned officers.
She said also included were non-uniformed personnel at Camp 1Lt Vicente G Alagar in Barangay Lapasan here on Monday.
Olaivar said the results were released on Wednesday.
The surprise drug test was in accordance with Article 3 Sec. 36 Paragraph (e) of the Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 mandating officers and employees of public offices to undergo random drug testing to ensure that the government agencies remain drug-free.
The surprise drug testing had been implemented during the accounting of personnel and checking of attendance on Monday at the regional headquarters covered court as facilitated by the Regional Crime Laboratory Office-10.
Olaivar said this was the first surprise random drug test in the PRO-10 for the year and the same activity is to be expected in the coming months.
Last year, Olaivar said four police personnel in the region had tested positive for illegal drug use.
“They faced administrative cases and were dismissed from service,” she said referring to the drug-using cops.
Acorda, on the other hand, underscored the need for drug-testing activity to monitor every personnel and maintain the trust of the public.
“We took this opportunity to conduct drug testing to show and ensure that personnel of PRO-10 is drug-free,” he said.
He added that the anti-illegal drugs campaign is not only limited to the people in the community, but also to the personnel who execute and implement the laws.
Olaivar said intensive anti-illegal drug operation has been one of the top priorities of the PRO-10 to eradicate the problems caused by illegal drugs and to maintain peace and order in the community.
“We have to be transparent about our activities, one way of it is through giving you the right information. We need to continue the random drug test to make sure that there are no bad tomatoes in our organization,” she said.
Source: Philippines News Agency