BAGUIO City Mayor Mauricio Domogan expressed his all-out support to the recent mandate from the education department for the conduct of random drug test to junior and senior high school students in public schools.
The random drug test aims to spare them from being involved in illegal vices at a young age.
The local chief executive requested concerned offices of the local government to source out the required funds for the mandated random drug test for junior and senior high school students so it could be implemented soon to help in the formulation of the needed interventions that will spare the students from being involved in the use of illegal drugs.
“We have to implement the necessary interventions to spare the youth from the serious negative effects of using illegal drugs at the early stages of their life so that they will be accorded the appropriate guidance for them to shy away from their involvement to the illegal vices. We have to come in this early through the implementation of the random drug test to our high school students so that we will be able to pinpoint those that need government intervention considering that they will be at a loss once they will continue to be involved in illegal drugs,” Domogan stressed.
He added that the local government also entered into an agreement with the religious sector in the city for them to conduct free lectures in public schools regarding the negative effects of using illegal drugs to sustain the government’s unrelenting and uncompromising anti-drug campaign, especially among the youth who are the ones prone to using illegal drugs.
Domogan said private schools are also encouraged to seek the assistance of the religious sector to conduct the necessary anti-drug lectures to their students in intensifying the local government’s effort to influence people to stop using illegal drugs.
Domogan explained there is no longer a need for the conduct of a second round of surprise drug test to the officials and employees of the local government.
Those found to be positive for the use of illegal drugs were able to reverse the earlier results of the mandatory drug test for city personnel.
The mayor also encouraged the public to report to his office officials and employees who are continuously involved in the use of illegal drugs so that they will be again subjected to the mandatory drug test to validate the reports that are being brought to his attention for appropriate action.
Earlier, four local government employees were able to test positive for the alleged use of illegal drugs during the mandatory drug test conducted on all officials and employees of the local government through the marching orders of President Rodrigo Duterte.
However, one of them reportedly died because of terminal cancer while the three employees were able to test negative during the confirmatory drug test after they were given a chance to negate their positive drug test results. (Dexter See)