More than 100 City Hall, barangay workers test positive for drug use

ABOUT 133 barangay workers and 43 City Hall employees tested positive of illegal drug use, the Cebu City Office for Substance and Abuse Prevention (COSAP) said Tuesday.

COSAP chief Gary Lao said during Tuesday’s 888 News Forum that most of the barangay and City hall employees that failed the drug test were drivers, garbage collectors, loaders and tanods.

About 2,649 barangay workers and 1,485 City Hall employees underwent drug test from January to June this year. Barangay officials from 11 barangays who underwent random drug tests tested negative of illegal drug use.

Lao said he recommended to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña that job order workers and casuals who tested positive of illegal drug use should be dismissed from service. “As City Hall workers they should stay away from drugs,” he said.

Lao also said there are 50 out of 117 drug surrenderers or reformists enrolled in their “We Care Program” or barangay based recovery program that is conducted twice a week.

Barangay Bonbon has 30 active drug surrenderers out of 37 enrollees of the program, while Taptap has nine out of 16, Quilt has six out of 24 and Sambag 2 has five out of 40 drug reformists.

Lao was appointed as co-chairman of the Cebu City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) by Mayor Osmeña.

Read more...