MORE than 500 tourist and canyoneering guides underwent a surprise drug test in Badian, Cebu, on Tuesday morning, March 13.
Senior Inspector Bonifacio Pareja, the town police chief, said they want to make sure the guides are clean while dealing with local and foreign visitors.
Some of Badian's tourist spots are Kawasan Falls, Kansanto Spring, Matutinao River and Lambug Beach.
Pareja said Badian Mayor Carmencita Lumain initiated the drug test, which was conducted by Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Office (CPadao).
"The drug test came after a guide was caught in a drug bust last month," he said in a phone interview.
Pareja and 25 uniformed personnel also submitted their urine samples. None of the police officers tested positive for drug use.
The guides working for tourist operators in Badian and Moalboal were told to attend the closing ceremony of their safety training in Badian's sports complex, during which certificates were given to the participants.
Afterwards, authorities closed the doors and held the drug test.
Last February 26, tourist guide Willard Ledesma Capacio, 36, was caught in a drug bust in Barangay Matutinao, Badian.
Capacio yielded four small packs of methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu. (KAL/SunStar Cebu)