COP TESTS POSITIVE OF ILLEGAL DRUG USE

80 police officers of CPPO also undergo surprise drug tests, in which no one tested positive

A police officer of Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) has tested positive of illegal drug use in a test conducted last month.

Chief Insp. Mark Gifter Sucalit, chief of the LCPO-City Intelligence Branch (CIB), said they sent a letter to the police officer to give him a chance to explain last Feb. 12.

The CIB, in coordination with the Regional Crime Laboratory Office 7, conducted a surprise drug test on 35 LCPO personnel who were participants of a criminal-profiling orientation seminar last Jan. 29.

The drug test was held in the CIB office.

Sucalit said they confronted the police officer about the result, but the officer denied he is into drugs.

In the province, more than 80 personnel of Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) underwent surprise drug test administered by the Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office yesterday morning.

Initial results showed that all personnel tested negative of marijuana and shabu use, said CPPO Director Edgar Alan Okubo, who also submitted his urine sample.

Okubo said the unannounced drug test is part of the Philippine National Police’s campaign to cleanse the ranks.

He said the personnel of three southern Cebu towns’ police stations were also subjected to drug test last Monday.

A non-uniformed personnel of Argao Police Station tested positive of drug use, but Okubo said the result is still subject to a confirmatory test.

In yesterday’s drug test, Okubo said 47 chiefs of police stations, eight members of Okubo’s staff and 32 police officers assigned in Provincial Personnel Holding Accounting Unit participated in the random drug test held in CPPO headquarters in Cebu City.

Last Jan. 31, two police officers tested positive in a drug test conducted among 92 police officers.

“As part of the due process, we gave him a written notice nga pwede siya maka-contest (that he can contest the result of the examination) within 15 days (from receipt hereof ),” said Sucalit.

As of Monday, LCPO officials had not received yet the police officer’s written intention to oppose the result of the examination.

According to Sucalit, the officer was assigned in another province before he was transferred to LCPO. He said they got reports that the police officer had already been using illegal drugs even before.

Supt. Rey Tiempo, deputy city director for administration of LCPO, said drug test is part of the LCPO’s “internal cleansing.”

“Wala gyuy reason nga nagkulang ang atong unit, organization nga gidili ang paggamit sa droga. So, ato siyang gipa-explain (Our police unit did not lack on giving them an advice about illegal drugs. We asked him to explain),” he said.

While the investigation is ongoing, the police officer is restricted to his unit.