As the City Council seeks for a drug-free workplace
BAGUIO CITY – City Mayor Mauricio Domogan jumped the gun on drug tests over the city counsil as he ordered a schedule of drug tests for City Hall employees.
This as Vice Mayor Edison Bilog sought the implementation of the drug-free workplace program through the mandatory conduct of authorized drug tests in all offices of the city government and the 128 barangays.
In a proposed ordinance, Bilog proposed a P5 million appropriation chargeable against the budget of the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) to finance the test as preventive measures against drug abuse to eliminate hazards in the workplace.
He proposed guidelines in the conduct of the drug tests adopting the methods of screening drug tests and confirmatory drug tests.
It will be made mandatory in the following cases: pre-employment; promotion; persons in high risk or decision-making positions; persons with past history of drug use; involvement in accidents; discovery of dangerous drugs paraphernalia; detention by police or filing of charge in court for drug-related cases; and employees reporting to work after undergoing rehabilitation in a treatment and rehabilitation center.
Random drug testing is also proposed to be done without prior notice of the date and venue on selected employees chosen by the Drug-free Workplace Assessment Committee which will be tasked to formulate a random selection process.
Random tests will also be done when there is reasonable ground to believe that an official or employee is using illegal drugs based on indicators concerning his or her attendance, personal appearance, mental factor, general performance and peer relations.
Bilog also provided specific procedure in the conduct of the random drug tests, handling of results both positive and negative.
He also spelled out the responsibilities of the city government and the employees, the creation of the drug-free assessment committee to be composed of the city mayor, the CADAC vice chair, head of the personnel department, the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay and the local government unit.
Administrative sanctions were proposed to be imposed on would-be violators of the ordinance.
The measure has been approved on first reading and referred to the committee governmental affairs and personnel. – Aileen P. Refuerzo.
But Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan is way ahead in implementation. He ordered the City Health Services Office to finalize the schedule for the drug-testing of city officials and employees pursuant to the marching orders of the Duterte administration to have a drug-free society in the next several months.
The local chief executive said the 1,500-strong officials and employees of City Hall must undergo the required mandatory drug test in order to ascertain who among them are reportedly involved in the use of prohibited drugs to guide concerned offices on how to deal with them.
“We have to arrange the schedule of our officials and employees relative to the conduct of the required drug test to avoid overcrowding in the City Health Office. We already have the available budget for the mandatory drug test of our officials and employees that is why there is no reason for the local government to delay the conduct of the said test,” Domogan stressed.
City Health Officer Rowena Galpo revealed at least P90,000 has been made available by the local government to fund the initial drug test of the officials and employees which will be done anytime.
According to her, the drug test will be closely coordinated with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) pursuant to existing rules and regulations crafted for the conduct of such test for government workers.
Domogan added officials and employees found to be using illegal drugs based on the results of the drug test will afforded the necessary due process before being meted the appropriate penalties as prescribed under existing rules and regulations.
He explained those officials and employees who need to undergo the confirmatory test after testing positive in the drug test will have to shoulder the expenses for such test as it will be part of his or her move to contest the initial results of the drug tests conducted on them.
He said the schedule to be prepared by the City Health Services Office will remain confidential to prevent those using prohibited drugs from preparing themselves to test negative.
The City Mayor claimed there had been reports some employees had been involved in the use of prohibited drugs through the years and it is now the time for them to prove their accusers wrong by being able to test negative during their scheduled drug test. Once tested positive, they will have to undergo the tedious process of various confirmatory tests.** By Aileen Refuerzo and Dexter A. See
