Mayor Sara leads city hall officials in drug testing, found negative

DAVAO CITY – Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio tested negative for drugs after she and most of the city government leadership underwent surprise drug testing that started right after Monday’s flag ceremony at City Hall.

The mayor said employees, who will test positive for illegal drugs, could face termination.

“It would all depend on his job. He could be terminated but we will definitely assess his records and consider many factors, including the length of service. For regular employees, we will refer to Cadac,” she said.

The Mayor took the test last Tuesday after all of the 38 department heads tested negative Monday.

Around 200 city hall drivers also took the test yesterday.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC), through CSC Circular No. 13, mandates that all government employees should take mandatory random drug tests, with the city leadership taking the lead.

“We have to be an example to our society with regard to healthy living, and being clean, and not engaging into drugs,” the Mayor said.

“And we should also set an example to the people of Davao - that we should never engage in illegal drugs.”

“The local government is not only implementing the CSC memorandum, but is also showing that we are serious in our commitment to support the government’s fight against illegal drugs,” Davao City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cadac) chair Michael Denton Aportadera said.

Members of the Cadac and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) asked department heads for their urine samples for a surprise drug test after their regular weekly department heads’ meeting.