Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan joined 308 other local government employees in a surprise drug testing on Wednesday, the city anti-drug czar said.
Garry Lao, head of the City of Lapu-Lapu Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (CLOSAP), said Chan was surprised to see the list of names to undergo the random drug test, but he submitted a urine sample to serve as an example to the rest of the city officials and employees.
Lao said the drug test at the Atrium floor of the Lapu-Lapu City Hall was implemented in the guise of a meeting called for by city administrator Danilo Almendras regarding the renewal of employment for casual and job order personnel for the second semester and the resumption of the use of biometric attendance monitoring system.
“There was no special treatment, everybody went through the procedures – from filling out the form and submission of urine samples,” Lao told the Philippine News Agency.
The surprise test, Lao said, was in compliance with Article 3 Section 36 Paragraph (e) of the Republic Act No. 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, mandating officers and employees of public offices to undergo random testing to ensure that government agencies remain drug-free.
This is the first time that the city hall employees have undergone drug testing immediately after a local election, Lao said.
“Drug testing will also boost public trust in the government,” he added.
Lao cited Civil Service rules which said any government official or employee who tests positive for drug use shall undergo a drug dependency examination conducted by the Department of Health or any of its accredited medical practitioners to assess what type of user the person is and to determine the kind of treatment needed.
The test was done by the B-Krus Drug Testing center. Results are expected to be released this week.
Those who will test positive may be dismissed from government service.
Chan, in his social media post, said the random drug test was part of his administration’s effort to sustain a drug-free work environment and to ensure the delivery of quality service to the constituents.
Source: Philippines News Agency
