AS PART of the city’s drug-free workplace program, some 1,800 Davao City workers, including elected officials, will be the subject of the first batch of random drug testing starting April this year.
City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cadac) Operations Head Ronald Rivera said they will be starting the random drug testing to appointed and elected officials.
"We are aiming to randomly select 10-percent of the 16,000 employees," Rivera said.
He said the selection will be made throughout the year.
He said they will start the selection weekly through electronic selection. The Human Resource Management Office (HRMO) will be tasked to conduct the random selection to be made without prior notice or information of the latter.
The Cadac official said this is in compliance with Executive Order (EO) Number 24 series in 2010, issued by Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
The EO states the City Government adopts a strict "anti-drug" policy in workplaces.
"The drug free workplace should be in place sa atong (in our) city government to ensure that nobody is into drugs. Kung naa puy (If someone is) found to be with the disease [drug addiction], dapat pud ni sila tagaan og panahon para ilahang matambalan ilahang (they should be given time to recover from their) condition," he said.
Those who will manifest behavioral deviancy, such as consistent absences, incontrolable debts, or other behavioral misconduct, could also be selected in the drug testing.
He said the EO mandates all employees to be subjected under drug testing as required by Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Rivera said the order covers all permanent or regular, whether in the career or non-career service, temporary casual, part-time, and contractual and consultancy basis workers, whether or not they receive compensation, regardless of amount.
The drug test, he said, will be conducted at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).
According to the EO, regular employees who will be yielded positive after the confirmatory test will be charged by the committee with an administrative disciplinary action, and termination, in accordance with the Civil Service law and other applicable laws, rules and regulations.
“But since the city is into bringing in treatment for people with addiction, so it will now be the decision of the committee,” Rivera said.
However, for those workers under contracts and job orders will be immediately terminated after a positive confirmatory test result.
Rivera said the testing will be shouldered by the City Government.
The executive order has not been immediately implemented due to some amendments made by the assessment committee.