Cebu City Hall aims for drug-free workplace

More Cebu City Hall employees are expected to undergo surprise drug tests as the city aims for a drug-free working environment in 2018.

Leading by example, workers of Cebu City Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) submitted to a surprise urinary drug test initiated by their own department last Wednesday morning.

“In the coming weeks and months, we will be conducting surprise drug tests. We will not stop until every department will be cleared from illegal drug,” COSAP head Garry Lao said.

The COSAP drug test which showed negative results for all 15 employees, including Lao himself, is the first among the many drug tests which will be initiated by the department.

The drug test involving his staff, said Lao, was conducted for transparency purposes and to assure the public that the workers in their department are living clean and healthy lifestyles.

He added that the initiative was done to show people that the city’s hopes of eliminating the drug problem is easier executed when it begins from the agency tasked to eradicate substance abuse.

As per Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s previous order, Cebu City Hall employees who are found to be positive for illegal drug use will be immediately terminated from office.

Lao further urged City Hall employees to uphold the ethical standards set by the law and to live a simple lifestyle.

Lao said they encourage City Hall workers who may be addicted to illegal substances to enroll in the city’s We Care Program.

This is a community-based rehabilitation program that treats its participants as ‘out-patients’ by giving them the privilege to come home to their families throughout the six-month treatment period.

“So far wala pa’y City Hall employee nga ni-submit ‘cause they think na if mosubmit sila ma-terminate ra man gihapon sila sa trabaho. They [city hall workers] are very welcome. This rehab program is much more willing to help individuals lessen their addiction through a fusion of interventions,” Lao said.

He also reminded city government workers that the best way to have a safe place to live is to foster a drug-free community.

Intern/JBB