More barangay, city workers test positive for drug use

Employees from the Parks and Playgrounds Office of the Cebu City Hall submit their urine samples during the April 19 drug testing organized by Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap).
CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

Nine employees from Cebu City Hall’s Department of Public Services (DPS) were found positive of illegal drug use.

Another four barangay workers from Barangays Apas and Busay also tested positive of illegal drug use.

Both surprise drug tests were conducted by the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap) last Friday, according to outgoing Cosap head Dr. Alice Utlang.

“These results are still subject to confirmatory tests. It is our standard operating procedure unless the employee would say that there is no need for confirmatory,” she said.

Cosap tested 273 DPS employees, 32 Barangay Apas employees and 21 Barangay Lahug employees last Friday.

Of the 32 employees tested in Barangay Apas, two garbage loaders and one barangay tanod were found positive of illegal drug use.

In Barangay Busay, only one garbage loader out of the 21 employees was positive for drug use, said Utlang.

All employees of Barangays Tabunan and Cambinocot, who were also tested last Friday, tested negative of drug use.

Cosap records show that 132 barangay employees in 76 barangays have been found positive of illegal drug use.

Utlang said employees in four more barangays will be subjected to drug tests, but she declined to disclose which barangays are next in line.

Majority of the barangay employees found positive of drug use are garbage loaders (82), followed by barangay tanods (30). Other employees found positive include barangay drivers (15), street cleaners (2), a traffic aide, one maintenance staff and an electrician.

Among the City Hall departments, the DPS is the sixth office to be tested by Cosap.

From January to May this year, Cosap already subjected to drug testing 959 City Hall employees from the Department of Veterinary Medicine and

Fisheries (DVMF), Cebu City Zoo, Cosap, Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW), Parks and Playgrounds Commission (PPC), DPS and some newly hired employees.

Of these employees, 27 have been found positive of illegal drugs use so far, including the latest nine from DPS.

Cosap conducts surprise drug tests every year on barangay and City Hall employees as mandated by a city ordinance which promotes a drug-free workplace in the city.