148 City Hall employees undergo surprise drug tests

Some 148 personnel of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (CDRRMD) were made to undergo surprise drug tests yesterday morning, December 12, at the City Hall.

This is the second round of drug testing among city hall employees. The first surprise drug tests were done last September in which City Councilors submitted themselves to drug testing.

City Councilor Reuben Daba said the drug tests conducted at the City Hall were unannounced to catch habitual drug users and to get more accurate results.

“It is important that especially our disaster personnel are mentally and physically fit because they are our frontliners in the conduct of rescue operations during disasters,” Daba said.

“All city hall employees, no one is exempted in our campaign against illegal drugs, so we hope all our employees will submit to drug testing. After all, we are all serving the people and at the same time, their model too,” he added.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-10 said the result will be out in 2 days.

PDEA said based in the Civil Service Policy, first offenders or those who tested positive of illegal drugs for the first time will be made to undergo a 6-month rehabilitation.

The City Government has allocated an estimated P1.2 million for the mandatory drug testing of the 6,119 City Government employees, including barangay officials.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) requires public officials and employees to undergo drug testing, in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

In an order dated March 15 but released only April 19 this year, the CSC said it is the mandate of the 1987 Constitution and the Administrative Code of 1987 to ensure that morale, efficiency, integrity, responsiveness, progressiveness, and courtesy shall be widely observed, to ensure that government service shall be drug-free as provided by the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.