900 gov’t workers, tanods undergo surprise drug test

MORE than 700 barangay tanods in 49 lowland barangays in Cebu City underwent a surprise drug test administered by the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap) yesterday.

In Carcar City, 151 city hall employees also underwent a drug test.

Cosap Chief Garry Lao said the drug test is part of the effort to make the City Government and the barangays drug free.

Lao said that as of 3 p.m. yesterday, there were 775 barangay tanods who took the surprise drug exam.

Lao said those who will be found positive for illegal drug use will be terminated from service.

“Those who will be positive, we will recommend for their outright replacement. I already made it clear to the barangay captains during our previous meetings that we will not maintain employees who are positive for illegal drugs,” he said.

Results of the test will be out today.

Barangay tanods who will be caught for any drug-related violation will also be removed from service.

The barangay tanods were gathered in City Hall yesterday for meeting and orientation on the processing of their payrolls for the release of their honorarium from the City.

Right after the activity, they were told that there would be a drug test.

Each of the tanods receives P4,000 monthly honorarium from the City Government. One barangay has at least 20 tanods.

So far, 1,464 city employees from 18 department and offices have undergone a drug test this year.

Of the number, 36 have been found to be positive for illegal drug use.

Lao said they will also conduct another surprise drug test for the tanods in the barangays that were not included yesterday.

In Carcar City, information officer Candice Acuña said that the drug test is part of their celebration of Civil Service Month.

The employees who underwent the test administered y a private service provider were all male.

Among those who were tested were Mayor Nicepuro Apura, City Engineer Santiago Calinawan Jr. and Agriculture officer-in-charge Office Rey Trangia.

“To give a good example, the mayor had himself tested. How much more the other employees? If the mayor had himself tested, they should be tested too,” Acuña said.

Included in the drug test were personnel from the city’s motorpool, traffic enforcers, City Environment and Natural Resources Office personnel, rescue workers from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and drivers of heavy equipment, ambulance and buses.

The employees were told to go to the NICE Social Hall during the flag ceremony, where the tests were conducted.

The results will be out today.

Acuña said Apura had warned that employees who will be found guilty will be dismissed from service.

Last year, four job order employees of Carcar City Hall were dismissed after testing positive for drugs.

There are 500 employees working in Carcar City Hall, Acuña said. (RVC, SCG)