Six City Hall employees test positive for drugs

PDEA 7 Regional Director Yogi Filemon Ruiz

Six out of 81 Cebu City Hall employees tested positive for drug use during a drug test held last Friday, the Cebu City’s Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) said yesterday.

COSAP chief Gary Lao said last Friday’s drug test involved 45 employees from the City Assessors Office and 36 employees from the Operation Second Chance Center.

Of that number, five job order employees from the City Assessor’s Office tested positive for drug use and one casual employee of Operation Second Chance tested positive.

Lao said the results were sent to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, and it’s up to him to decide on their fate. Lao said his office recommended for their immediate relief.

Lao said public awareness on illegal drug use was high even among children as shown during a recent information and education campaign in Barangays Carreta and Tejero.

As this developed, the regional Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-7) said it is closely monitoring local drug dealers, as well as commercial establishments where illegal drug activities are suspected to be held.

PDEA-7 Director Yogi Felimon Ruiz said their office is doing its best to prevent the entry of drug syndicates from Mexico and China in Central Visayas and stepped up its crackdown on illegal drugs.

Ruiz said they confiscated more than P409 million worth of illegal drugs since the Duterte administration came into power in July last year.

He said their operations also resulted in the seizure of more than P460,000 worth of drugs from hotels in Cebu City.

“We need the cooperation of hotels, inns and resorts in identifying drug dealers staying in their premises so we can arrest them,” Ruiz said.

Those establishments that won’t cooperate will be told to close down, he warned.