Busay Barangay Captain Amilo Lopez shows one of the types of medicine he uses to suppress his hypertension during a press briefing. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Lopez cites hypertension meds for positive drug test results
Busay barangay Captain Amilo Lopez yesterday strongly denied using illegal drugs and cited the various kinds of maintenance medication that he use for his hypertension as the reason for the positive results of the surprise drug test of barangay officials last Oct. 20.
“In my entire lifetime, I have never tasted or even took a sniff of those illegal substances. I am willing to undergo several drug testings again and again to show that I am not guilty, and that I have never been into drugs in my life,” said Lopez during a press briefing yesterday.
Lopez said he first thought that Dr. Alice Utlang, Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse and Prevention (Cosap) head, was joking when she told him that he was positive of using illegal drugs last Friday morning – two days after he took the surprise drug test during the 3rd Association of Barangay Council’s quarterly meeting.
“I laughed because at first, I thought Doc Alice (Dr. Alice Utlang) was just joking when she told (me that) I was positive, but she was not … I cried after Dr. Utlang told me about the news, and my family, and my staff in the barangay hall. It destroyed me, my family and Barangay Busay,” Lopez said.
Lopez in an earlier press briefing at the Busay barangay hall, said that the results may be derived from the various kinds of medication he is taking to suppress his hypertension.
He showed reporters the eight different types of medicine he took hours before he was screened by Cosap staff. These include ranitidine, clopidogrel, raproxen, metaloc, and mezartan.
He also questioned Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse and Prevention’s (Cosap) announcement of the non-confirmatory results of the test.
Cosap head’s reply
But Utlang said in a text message to Cebu Daily News that she did not disclose to the public the initial results of the surprise drug testing.
“I was surprised, too when the information got out. But I did not make any public announcement because we know it’s non confirmatory,” she said.
Utlang added that all initial results and samples of drug screenings should be delivered to the Department of Health’s (DOH) accredited drug testing laboratories in Manila for confirmation.
“When they give back to us the confirmatory results, that’s how we will know if a person is really using drugs. The report will provide us comprehensive details on the samples we sent,” Utlang said in Cebuano.
She also said that it could be possible that the medications Lopez is taking regularly may contain substances that are precursors on creating illegal drugs.
“We will find out the moment we receive the confirmatory reports, then we will find out if indeed some ingredients found in his (Lopez) medicines are also the ones found in shabu (methamphetamine),” Utlang said in Cebuano.
Former Busay barangay captain and currently Busay barangay councilor Eliodoro Sanchez, who accompanied Lopez in a press briefing yesterday, said that they were planning to have their chief undergo another drug testing as they too believed that he is not guilty.