Drug test from Manila comes back negative

THE Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap) is more careful about making pronouncements about City Hall workers who test positive for drugs after what happened with the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom).

Last December, 16 traffic enforcers tested positive for drugs during a surprise drug test.

Citom Executive Director Rafael Yap immediately announced that their contracts wouldn't be renewed.

However, when the confirmatory tests arrived from Manila, all 16 enforcers tested negative for illegal drugs. Their contract has since been renewed.

Yap said he doesn't want to comment on how this happened since the testing was conducted by a private firm.

Ongoing tests

"It is not my specialty but I have already communicated what happened to the testing center and Cosap," he said.

Rodolfo Reyes of Cosap said they've conducted surprise drug tests in six City Hall departments and special bodies since the year began.

He said a worker at the Cebu City Sports Commission is a suspect for drug use. This means the employee came out positive in the initial drug test.

The same urine sample used in the drug test will be subject to a confirmatory test in Manila.

A total of 26 workers at the commission took the drug test.

At the Building Maintenance Section (BMS), two workers admitted using drugs, Reyes said.

They will be made to sign an affidavit of admission, waiving their right to undergo drug testing, he said.

Retractions

Last year, some workers at the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) admitted using drugs and didn't undergo the drug test. Afterwards, they retracted their statement.

The Human Resource and Development Office also penned a memorandum that all employees should take the drug test even though they admit being drug users.

Last Jan. 21, seven workers at the Cebu City Anti-Mendicancy Board and 41 workers at the City Agriculture Department were ordered to take a drug test.

The next day, it was the turn of workers at the sports commission and the DEPW. (Drug testing at the DEPW is still ongoing since the department has over 200 workers.)

Last Wednesday, 55 workers at the BMS and the Office of the Building Official also underwent the drug test.