Grade IV students too young to go through drug tests, PDEA told
proposal of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to conduct mandatory drug testing of all students age 10 and older was criticized by senators and the Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday.
The huge cost and the students being too young to go through the tests were cited by the officials as the major reasons for their disapproval of the proposal.
In a statement, DepEd said that PDEA’s plan will cost the government about 12.8 billion to test some 14 million students who are from Grade 4 (10-year-old students) to Grade 12 students.
“At 1200 per student for the testing fee alone, the budget will already amount to 12.8 billion,” DepEd said. “There are considerable related costs for capacity-building and mobilization for the conduct of the drug testing,” it added.
Likewise, DepEd also noted that the proposal may also “require the amendment” of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 – which authorizes drug testing for “secondary and tertiary level students only.”
Earlier, PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino announced the proposed mandatory drug testing to cover fourth graders and older.
Senators have also criticized PDEA’s plan, for the same reasons.
Senato Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel called it “pointless.”
"That is pointless because what is the use of the test result? If positive, then what? And how many false or wrong positives and even negatives will our system produce?" Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel on Friday said.
"Malakihang gastos lang yan (It would just cost a lot), hence I'm interested to know who came up with such a 'brilliant' idea. Ginawang mandatory para talagang malakihang gastos (He made it mandatory to ensure large allocation)," he added.
Pimentel particularly noted that the findings of the proposed mandatory drug testing, if positive, cannot be used against the person.
"Assume there is a positive test result. Go ahead, start drafting the information or even the complaint which starts the preliminary investigation. What will you put there? When did he take the drug? Where? What kind of drug? What quantity? We cannot force the person concerned to supply all of these essential information," he said.
Too young The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) has also hit the plan, saying that 10-year-old’s or Grade IV pupils are “too young” to undergo drug test. They are planning to ask the DepEd “not to allow the proposed drug testing in elementary schools.”
“These kids are too young and it is not proper for us adults to assume that they are into drug use,” said TDC National Chairperson Benjo Basas. “At that stage of life, they just started their social lives with their school activities and games – they are just mere babies,” he added.
He explained that if there are cases that 10-year-old children were caught using or peddling drugs – as earlier announced by the PDEA Director – “would it merit us to put all the 10-year-old children in a drug test (not knowing) how many 10-year-old kids are involved?” Convincing PDEA In a related news, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, on Friday, said he had convinced the PDEA to just enforce the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program among Grade 6 pupils and above.
"I think I was able to convince them to follow the DARE drug abuse resistance education program which focuses on Grade 6 and up," Sotto told Senate reporters after meeting with PDEA during the celebration of the agency's anniversary.
Sotto also urged the PDA to implement instead a "combination of random and mandatory" drug testing, in consideration of the Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensove Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Section 36 of the RA 9165 authorizes "students of secondary and tertiary schools pursuant to the related rules and regulations as contained in the school's student handbook and with notice to the parents, undergo a random drug testing."
"Generally random but mandatory if they believe the school is reportedly notorious for illegal drugs. Guidelines have to be drawn out so as not to violate any laws or rights," he explained.
Senators JV Ejercito and Francis Pangilinan also thumbed down PDEA's plan.
"Grade 4 might be too young to conduct mandatory drug testing. Another consideration will be the cost as it is quite expensive to have a drug test, just imagine how many billions [are] needed if kids from Grade 4 onwards are to have mandatory drug testing," Ejercito said. DepEd’s drug testing program Meanwhile, DepEd reiterated that it has an “ongoing drug-testing program” which started in School Year (SY) 2017-2018 and will be completed this SY 2018-2019. “The program covers all 1,300 officers and personnel at the central office, 3,800 in the regional offices, and 26,000 in schools division offices,” DepEd said.
The said drug testing covers a “sample population of all teachers, numbering 10,000, and a sample population of all secondary students, numbering 21,000.”
The sample population of secondary students and teachers, the Department said, is based “on a sampling design to yield 95 percent statistical confidence level of the result.”
Education Secretary Leonor Briones will be requesting for a meeting with Aquino “to compare” the objectives of the two institutions. “DepEd’s objective is mainly to know the prevalence so it can provide interventions compliant to its mandate, and for health reasons, so proper treatment can be provided,” the Department said.
DepEd’s stand As far as its drug testing is concerned, DepEd said that it “follows the legal mandate and regulations.” The drug testing program, DepEd said, is being done pursuant to the authorized drug testing under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, specifically Section 36 (c) with respect to students, and Section 36 (d) with respect to officers and employees of public offices.