Two Lapu-Lapu City Hall workers positive for drugs

The City of Lapu-Lapu Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (CLOSAP) subjected 26 workers of the City Clearing Team to a surprise drug test on Wednesday, January 24.

After the results, two individuals, one being a casual employee and the other a job order worker, tested positive.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard "Ahong" Chan has ordered a series of drug tests to eliminate drug use among City Hall employees.

The mayor and City Administrator Danilo Almendras initially met with all of them, and then CLOSAP executive director Garry Lao led them to the atrium for their surprise drug test.

Chan vowed to cleanse the city government by removing drug users through surprise drug tests.

Earlier, the mayor cited that one of those involved in the shooting of executive assistant on market operation in Lapu-Lapu City, Christopher Ceniza, last January 2, 2024, is a regular drug user.

According to the city Public Information Office in its Facebook page, a week ago, a driver of the City Clearing Team, Aldrin Peñaranda-Dungog, and Rodel Asuque-Mojado, a barangay tanod, formally confessed to prosecutors, accusing two other clearing team workers as the brains behind the killing of Ceniza.

Dungog allegedly contacted the gunman, while Mojado served as the gunman’s getaway driver.

The alleged gunman was arrested and is now in the custody of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, seven days after the shooting, for drug pushing.

The mayor’s marching order to Lao is to conduct surprise drug tests for all City Hall workers.

Last Monday, CLOSAP conducted drug tests for workers in CLOSAP, the Human Resource Office, the City Administrator's Office, City Marshals, and traffic enforcers.

A total of 115 were tested, and three out of the 40 randomly picked City Traffic Management System enforcers tested positive for drugs.

The mayor stated that those who tested positive would be terminated and may be readmitted after six months of successful rehabilitation.