AT LEAST 600 policemen applying for promotion underwent drug testing yesterday at the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) Headquarters along Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City.
Drug testing is among the requirements for promotion which also include neuro-psychiatric and medical tests, said Senior Supt. Clarito Baja, head of the Regional Personnel and Human Resources Development.
“They knew that they are going to undergo drug test as part of their application for promotion but the date of the test was not announced,” Baja said.
Those who took the tests yesterday were non-commissioned police officers or those policemen holding the ranks of Police Officer 1 to Senior Police Officer 4.
Baja said the test will help them determine if a certain police officer remains fit to stay in the service.
A policeman tested positive for illegal drugs use will be barred from availing of the PNP promotion and may even be charged administratively. But he will be given 15 days to challenge the test results.
“The drug test is very important. We want to make sure that the PNP is a drug-free organization, and fighting illegal drugs has been the primary campaign of the President,” Baja said.
Meanwhile, the neuro-psychiatric test is done to check the mental health of a policeman while the medical test will determine if he is physically fit to remain in the police service, said Baja.
“The tests are done so it can be assessed if they deserve a promotion and to check if they could still function as police officers because if they are into drugs, how can they function or how can they enforce the law?” said Insp. Reslyn Abella, information officer of PRO-7.