The 53 government employees in Bacolod City who tested positive for illegal drug use are expected to surrender on Thursday, August 10, at the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO).
Lieutenant Colonel Ronnie Brillo, deputy city director for operations at BCPO, said Tuesday, August 8, they will conduct a one-stop shop for the employees who yielded positive results to surrender.
"After we process their surrender, we will endorse them to the City Health Office (CHO) for assessment, and then they will be turned over to the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cadac)," he said.
If the employees fail to surrender, they will be subjected to monitoring or Oplan Tokhang and if evidence warrants, they will conduct an operation against them, he said.
Colonel Noel Aliño, director of the BCPO, earlier urged the 53 government employees who tested positive for illegal drug use to surrender to the BCPO or the nearest police stations to clear their names.
"If they will surrender, no charges will be filed against them and their names will be cleared at BCPO," Brillo said.
He said the rehabilitation of the drug surrenderers will also depend on the assessment of the CHO, whether they will be placed at Balay Silangan or do community based rehabilitation.
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 Balay Silangan in Barangay Singcang-Airport.
Of the number, 381 were assigned to Public Order and Safety Office (Poso), with 21 of them yielding positive results, and 282 were detailed at Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO), with 32 of them also yielding positive results, including the four regular traffic enforcers.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez also urged those who yielded positive results to voluntarily surrender and undergo a drug rehabilitation program.
"They should be open to our police so that they can give information to arrest the drug personalities in Bacolod," Benitez said.
He said that this would be a big help to the local police if they will cooperate to address the drug problem in the city.*