PDEA pushes drug-free workplaces in Makati
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Director General Aaron Aquino yesterday urged all business establishments in Makati City to implement a safe and drug-free environment in the workplace, pursuant to Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Order 53-03, or the Guidelines for the implementation of a Drug-Free Workplace Policies and Programs for the Private Sector.
Aquino made the call as PDEA launched an advocacy program held at Dusit Thani Hotel to promote a drug-free workplace in business establishments and subdivisions in Makati City.
Among the topics discussed during the activity were the current drug situation and salient features of Republic Act 9165, or The Comprehensive Dangerous Act of 2002; identification of clandestine drug laboratories; modus operandi and concealment methods used by drug syndicates; and drug abuse awareness and prevention inside the workplace.
The event was attended by Makati City Mayor Abby Binay and representatives from the City Government of Makati, barangay officials and PDEA officers.
Aquino said the anti-drug advocacy program is not mainly for the promotion of a drug-free workplace, but to instill awareness on the modus operandi used by drug syndicates, such as using high-end subdivisions, hotels and condominiums as drug dens, laboratories and warehouses to conceal their illegal activities.
PDEA recently dismantled a large-scale clandestine laboratory in Oceanaire Luxurious Residences in Pasay City last 25 September 2018.
Aquino said one of the priorities of the program is to reintroduce and compel business owners to conform with the requirements of Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Regulation 8 Series of 2003, which mandates all private establishments employing 10 or more workers to formulate and implement a drug-free workplace program, including mandatory drafting and adoption of company policies against illegal drug use.
The PDEA chief urged lessors of warehouses, condominiums and houses to regularly inspect their properties to prevent them from being used as drug laboratories and warehouses.
“We are one in promoting a working environment free from the influence of illegal drugs in the public and private sectors as this allows personnel better health and safety, at the same time increasing productivity. This is a win-win situation for both employers and employees,” he added.
A special project by Aquino himself, the program was first launched as its pilot implementation site in Quezon City on 21 February 2019 that will engage the management of these establishments, including security agencies, to implement their own drug-free workplace program, educate employees on the ill-effects of dangerous drugs, and conduct random drug tests for all their officers and employees as embodied in Dangerous Drugs Board 8, Series of 2003 or The Guidelines for the Implementation of a Drug-Free Workplace Policies and Programs for the Private Sector.
We are one in promoting a working environment free from the influence of illegal drugs in the public and private sectors as this allows personnel better health and safety, at the same time increasing productivity.