OF THE 640 government employees in Bacolod City who underwent the drug test, 46 of them tested positive for illegal drug use.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez also underwent a drug test Tuesday, August 1, which yielded negative results.
Benitez said of 640 employees, 370 of them were assigned to the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO), and 270 of them were detailed at the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO).
He said the surprise drug test was conducted by the City Health Office (CHO) through the initiative of retired colonel Primitivo Tabujara, head of Poso.
He added the 640 employees include job order workers and regular employees of Poso and BTAO.
Of those who tested positive for illegal drug use, 29 were from BTAO and 17 were assigned from Poso.
The mayor stressed that those who yielded positive results will be terminated from the service and will undergo rehabilitation.
“If they turn out better and they recovered then, they will be reconsidered to continue their job at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC),” Benitez said.
For the regular employees who tested positive for illegal drug use, he said they will follow the due process so that they will be penalized.
Benitez added that they will come up with a system at the BCGC to identify the job order employees, plantilla, and regular employees to determine if they engage in illegal drugs.
The mayor also urged other city officials including other employees to undergo drug tests to prove that they are free from illegal drug use.
“It’s very important so that the general public have confidence that our government servants are not involved in any illegal substance,” Benitez said.
City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III also said they are still waiting for the approval of the drug-free workplace ordinance, which was authored by Councilor Psyche Marie Sy, chairperson of the City Council committee on fire, social defense, and natural disasters, so they can impose a mandatory drug test at the BCGC.
“Once it will be approved, all the city employees should comply to undergo a mandatory drug test,” he said.
For his part, Tabujara said the random drug test was conducted by the CHO at the Balay Silangan in Barangay Singcang-Airport from July 29 to July 31.
“This is one of the programs of the city government to ensure that the city employees are free from illegal drug use,” he said.
He added of 46 employees, some of them tested positive for the use of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu and marijuana.
Tabujara noted that the city government will also assist those who yielded positive results so they can recover through the drug rehabilitation program of the city.
Tabujara disclosed that he will submit his recommendation to the City Mayor’s Office for the termination of the Poso personnel who yielded positive results and they will undergo rehabilitation programs.*