Manila: The city government here is targeting at least 1,500 regular employees to undergo an orientation on substance abuse awareness and prevention program in line with its initiatives to achieve a drug-free workplace.
According to Philippines News Agency, a series of five orientations has been scheduled, with three held earlier this week and two remaining sessions set on July 28 and 29. 'This is an initiative of Bacolod City to make the city government a drug-free workplace. Our target is around 1,500 employees who will undergo orientation,' human resource management officer Jan Bethel Alson said in an interview with the city's Serbisyo Patrol.
On Thursday, the City Council said in a Facebook post that its staff were among the employees who participated during the orientation from July 20 to 22. With resource persons from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the orientation aims to enhance awareness on substance abuse prevention and its impact on the workplace, and provide information on the city's policies and initiatives in maintaining a safe and productive work environment.
The activity is being organized by the Human Resource Management Office and Bacolod City Anti-Drug Abuse Council, with the PDEA-Negros Island Region. When he started his term last year, Mayor Greg Gasataya issued Executive Order 54 to institutionalize the drug-free workplace program.
Gasataya earlier said that although drug testing is not mandatory, he believes that city government officials and employees should be transparent. 'I've been doing this since I assumed the post of mayor. I have undergone drug tests several times. As a local chief executive, you should be a role model to the employees,' he added.
The city's drug-free workplace committee has been discussing the implementing guidelines for the conduct of random drug test for employees with the PDEA-NIR since early July. City Administrator Mark Steven Mayo earlier said the drug test aims to cover 50 percent of the total number of employees in each department, whether regular, plantilla, or contract-of-service personnel.
