FOUR Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials, two barangay personnel and two town employees in Cebu Province tested positive for illegal drug use in separate random drug tests.
The separate initial screenings conducted by the Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office (Cpadao) from February to March 4, revealed an SK chairperson from Danao City and another SK chairperson from the southern town of Oslob yielded positive results.
An SK councilor and two barangay tanods from Danao City, an SK councilor from Carmen town and two job-order municipal employees from Sogod also tested positive for illegal drug use.
With SK officials yielding positive results in the random drug tests, Cpadao Chief Ivy Remedios Durano-Meca expressed concern on the matter.
“Based on the initial screening, we were really alarmed that there are a few SK officials that turned out positive. This is still subject for confirmatory (test), but there are SK officials during the initial screening that really admitted (using illegal drugs). These SK officials underwent assessment to check the degree of their addiction,” she said.
According to Meca, most of those who admitted to using illegal drugs volunteered to undergo treatment and rehabilitation.
She added the Civil Service Commission regulations provide that first-time offenders who voluntarily submit themselves for treatment will not be dismissed from service.
“But aside from the admission, it is alarming although these are very few lang. In behalf of Cpadao, we will closely coordinate with the SK Federation, them being the lead organization in the barangay level. We are also strengthening our demand reduction strategy in the barangay level,” Meca said.
As of March 4, at least 1,171 individuals from different Cebu local government units and offices under the Provincial Capitol have undergone the initial screening.
As this developed, 45 of the 245 drug-cleared barangays in Cebu Province might lose their status for failing to sustain their parameters.
Meca said it will be the Regional Oversight Committee (ROC) that will issue a notice of revocation once the status of the barangays is re-deliberated.
“But prior to that, before they will validate our monitoring, the barangay will be sent a notification. Once validated during the re-deliberation with ROC, that’s the time a decision will be made if it will be revoked (status). Prior to revocation, the barangay will be given 30 days to act on the findings. If it can’t act on it, that’s the time that the ROC will issue revocation,” she said.
In its monitoring, Cpadao found that nearly 25 percent of the drug-cleared barangays have low functioning barangay anti-drug abuse councils and none of those enlisted for community-based rehabilitation have completed the program in the past two years.
Some of the barangays also failed to sustain their community service and aftercare re-integration program.
Meca, though, stressed that those that will have their status revoked may still re-apply provided they are able to comply with the parameters.