THREE out of 205 personnel of the Lapu-Lapu City Traffic Management System (CTMS) Office have tested positive for illegal drug use during a random drug screening conducted on Sunday, June 1, 2025.
Garry Lao, executive director of the Lapu-Lapu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention, confirmed to SunStar Cebu that one traffic enforcer tested positive for cannabis (marijuana), while two others for methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu).
Lao said one of the three individuals in question contested the results. The three employees were subjected to confirmatory testing on Monday, June 2.
Should the confirmatory tests show positive results, the subject employees will be immediately terminated as the penalty of suspension does not apply to job order (JO) employees.
CTMS head Mario Napuli said the three JO traffic enforcers, who tested positive for illegal drugs, were between the ages of 37 and 40. He said these individuals had exhibited unusual behavior consistent with drug use.
“You can really tell if someone is using drugs, their behavior is different. They are full of energy. You can really tell from a person’s actions,” Napuli said in Cebuano.
The CTMS chief said he is still waiting for the formal termination order from higher authorities, as he does not have the authority to dismiss personnel on his own.
“Two of them remain on duty, while the 37-year-old has not reported for work and appears to be mentally affected,” Napuli added in an interview.
He also revealed that all CTMS personnel were scheduled to undergo the agency’s annual drug testing, but one failed to appear.
Instead of issuing a summon, Napuli said he intends not to renew the employee’s contract at the end of June. He said the employee may have been using illegal drugs.
Napuli urged CTMS employees to avoid illegal drug use as positive test results lead to immediate job loss and long-term personal hardship.
“There’s always give a daily briefing and I tell them that nothing good will ever come out of it. If you test positive, you lose your job. It’s not worth it. If possible, stay away from drugs, it will change your life,” he said. / DPC