SEVEN more government employees in Bacolod City have tested positive for illegal drug use, retired colonel Primitivo Tabujara, head of Public Order and Safety Office (Poso), said Wednesday, August 2. Tabujara said of the seven employees, four were assigned to Poso while three others were detailed at the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO). He said on Tuesday, August 1, 29 employees assigned from BTAO tested positive for illegal drugs and 17 others from Poso. He added that from July 29 to August 1, a total of 705 employees underwent a random drug test, which was conducted by the City Health Office (CHO) at the Balay Silangan in Barangay Singcang-Airport. Of the number, 381 were assigned to Poso and 282 to BTAO. Tabujara said of those who tested positive for illegal drug use, four of them are regular employees at BTAO. He said that those who tested positive from Poso were all job order employees, and they were placed in a holding area Wednesday. Tabujara noted that all of them will undergo drug rehabilitation at the Balay Silangan. Tabujara said that he had already submitted his recommendation to Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez for the termination of the 21 Poso personnel. He also recommended the conduct of an interview with those who were found positive for illegal drug use to convince them to participate in the drug use assessment scheduled for August 10 to be conducted by the CHO. Tabujara stressed that those who successfully undergo the program will have a chance of re-employment after the rigid assessment. He said that the results would still be subject to a confirmatory test from the Police Regional Office-Western Visayas. For his part, Major Junjie Liba, head of BTAO, said he will wait for the final lists of his personnel who were found positive for the use of illegal drugs. As of Wednesday, he said all his personnel were deployed in various areas to maintain the smooth flow of traffic. He added that he will wait for the mayor's decision on what they will do to those who tested positive for illegal drug use. Liba noted that currently, BTAO has a total of 280 job order enforcers and 25 regular employees. Tabujara and Liba will also make a request to Benitez to hire more employees for the replacement of their personnel who were tested positive for illegal drug use, and they will require the submission of a drug test to ensure that they are free from illegal drug use. Moreover, Benitez said the job orders who yielded positive results will be terminated from the service, while the regular employees will face suspension. He said they will issue a corresponding directive to the regular BTAO personnel, who yielded positive results, for their suspension. He added that those who yielded positive results would undergo rehabilitation. “If they turn out better and they recover then, they will be reconsidered to continue their job at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC),” Benitez said.*